Lauren van Oosten
Encyclopedia
Lauren van Oosten is a Canadian swimmer and a member of the Olympic swimming team for Canada
.
and is of Dutch
heritage.
She grew up and learned to swim in Nanaimo, B.C. before moving to the national training centre at the University of Calgary
in Calgary, Alberta.
Lauren has been an integral part of the National Swim Team since 1997. Since then she has won a total of 9 international medals (bronze, silver and gold) and has set two Canadian records, one (200 m breaststroke) that still stands and one (100 m breaststroke) that lasted for six years (1998–2004). She attributes much of her success to her coach, Jan Bidrman
.
Her first international meet was the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
in Fukuoka
, Japan
in August 1997. There she came from sixth place to third in the final 50 metres of the 200 m breaststroke race to win a bronze medal
. This incredible performance qualified her for the 1998 World Aquatics Championships
in Perth, Western Australia
, Australia
. At this World Championships Lauren swam a best time, set a Canadian record and won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke with a time of 1:08:66.
From there she went to the 1998 Commonwealth Games
that summer. This meet awarded her a silver medal (4*100 m medley relay) and 2 bronze medals (100 m breaststroke, 200 m breaststroke).
The 1999 Pan American Games
were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 23 July to 8 August 1999. Lauren medaled in all the events she entered which included 100 m breaststroke (Gold), 200 m breaststroke (Bronze), and 4*100 m medley relay (Silver)
.
Lauren had a major disappointment when she didn’t make the Olympic team in 2000. Up until this point she had been ranked first in Canada, but was only able to manage a 5th place finish at Olympic trials.
She also didn’t make the World Championships team in 2001 or the Commonwealth Games team in 2002. She was in a nasty slump and fading out of the Canadian swimming picture. However the 2003 season proved to be a come back year for van Oosten.
She qualified and race at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships
in Barcelona, Spain where she swam 100 m and 200 m breaststroke.
Then in November 2003, at Canadian Open in Quebec City, Quebec, Lauren van Oosten broke a 10-year-old national record in the women’s 200 m breaststroke to highlight the third day of competition, with a time of 2:25.47.
Following that she broke her Canadian record, only two months later, at the World Cup swimming competitions in East Meadow, New York. She won a bronze medal in the 200 m and set a new time of 2:24.92.
In August 2004, Lauren was disappointed with her races at the Olympics, compared to her performance at Olympic trials. At the 2004 Olympic Games, she competed in the 100 m breaststroke (11th place), 200 m breaststroke (13th place) and the 4*100 m medley relay (11th place). Although she had thought she would retire after the Olympics, she felt that she had more in her and wasn’t ready to retire just yet.
Early in 2005, she was hospitalized for pneumonia
and was thought to be severely over trained. This proved to be quite a setback as it took her till the end of August to even be able to start training again. She had two and a half months to go from not training at all to being ready to win at Commonwealth Games trials. She did just that with a gold medal win in the 100 m breaststroke, qualifying her for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne, Australia. There Lauren won a bronze medal in the 4*100 m medley relay.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Biography
She is originally from Nanaimo, British ColumbiaNanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...
and is of Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
heritage.
She grew up and learned to swim in Nanaimo, B.C. before moving to the national training centre at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
in Calgary, Alberta.
Lauren has been an integral part of the National Swim Team since 1997. Since then she has won a total of 9 international medals (bronze, silver and gold) and has set two Canadian records, one (200 m breaststroke) that still stands and one (100 m breaststroke) that lasted for six years (1998–2004). She attributes much of her success to her coach, Jan Bidrman
Jan Bidrman
Jan Bidrman is the head coach of the Calgary Academy of Swimming Excellence and the high performance coach of Swim Alberta...
.
Her first international meet was the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships is a long course swimming event first held in 1985. The meet was initially staged biennially , to allow for an international championship-level meet in the non-Olympic and non-World Championships years...
in Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in August 1997. There she came from sixth place to third in the final 50 metres of the 200 m breaststroke race to win a bronze medal
1997 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The seventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in Fukuoka, Japan, from August 10–13, 1997.-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:**...
. This incredible performance qualified her for the 1998 World Aquatics Championships
1998 World Aquatics Championships
The 1998 World Aquatics Championships or the 8th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia between 8 January and 17 January 1998....
in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At this World Championships Lauren swam a best time, set a Canadian record and won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke with a time of 1:08:66.
From there she went to the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
that summer. This meet awarded her a silver medal (4*100 m medley relay) and 2 bronze medals (100 m breaststroke, 200 m breaststroke).
The 1999 Pan American Games
1999 Pan American Games
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23-August 8, 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated at the games. The 1999...
were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 23 July to 8 August 1999. Lauren medaled in all the events she entered which included 100 m breaststroke (Gold), 200 m breaststroke (Bronze), and 4*100 m medley relay (Silver)
Swimming at the 1999 Pan American Games
The swimming competition at the 1999 Pan American Games took place in the Pan Am Pool in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from August 2-7, 1999.In 32 events, the USA team won 10 golds, 7 by the women: the last time either the U.S. men's or women's team won fewer than ten golds was 1963, when there were only...
.
Lauren had a major disappointment when she didn’t make the Olympic team in 2000. Up until this point she had been ranked first in Canada, but was only able to manage a 5th place finish at Olympic trials.
She also didn’t make the World Championships team in 2001 or the Commonwealth Games team in 2002. She was in a nasty slump and fading out of the Canadian swimming picture. However the 2003 season proved to be a come back year for van Oosten.
She qualified and race at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships
2003 World Aquatics Championships
Barcelona, Spain was the host city of the X FINA World Aquatics Championships or the 10th FINA World Championships in Aquatics, which were held from July 12 until July 27, 2003....
in Barcelona, Spain where she swam 100 m and 200 m breaststroke.
Then in November 2003, at Canadian Open in Quebec City, Quebec, Lauren van Oosten broke a 10-year-old national record in the women’s 200 m breaststroke to highlight the third day of competition, with a time of 2:25.47.
Following that she broke her Canadian record, only two months later, at the World Cup swimming competitions in East Meadow, New York. She won a bronze medal in the 200 m and set a new time of 2:24.92.
In August 2004, Lauren was disappointed with her races at the Olympics, compared to her performance at Olympic trials. At the 2004 Olympic Games, she competed in the 100 m breaststroke (11th place), 200 m breaststroke (13th place) and the 4*100 m medley relay (11th place). Although she had thought she would retire after the Olympics, she felt that she had more in her and wasn’t ready to retire just yet.
Early in 2005, she was hospitalized for pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and was thought to be severely over trained. This proved to be quite a setback as it took her till the end of August to even be able to start training again. She had two and a half months to go from not training at all to being ready to win at Commonwealth Games trials. She did just that with a gold medal win in the 100 m breaststroke, qualifying her for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne, Australia. There Lauren won a bronze medal in the 4*100 m medley relay.
2004 Summer Olympics
| Lauren van Oosten's 2004 Summer Olympics 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team... Events |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Final Time | Place |
| August 15 | 100 m Breaststroke Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metre breaststroke The women's 100m breaststroke at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held August 15 & 16, 2004 .-Medalist:-Records:The World and Olympic Records at the start of the event were:-Heats:-Semifinals:... |
1:09.45 | 11th |
| August 18 | 200 m Breaststroke Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 200 metre breaststroke These are the results of the Women's 200 metre breaststroke, one of sixteen events for female competitors in Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Records:-Heat 1:# Jaclyn Pangilinan, – 2:33.38# Eeva Saarinen, – 2:34.17... |
2:30.39 | 13th |
| August 21 | 4x100 m Medley Relay Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 4 x 100 metre medley relay The women's 4×100 metre medley relay was a swimming event held as part of the Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics programme. The competition was held on August 20, 2004 and on August 21, 2004.77 swimmers from 16 nations competed.-Medalists:... |
4:09.84 | 11th |
See also
- Swimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games - Women's 50 metres breaststrokeSwimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games - Women's 50 metres breaststroke-Women's 50 m Breaststroke - Finals:-Women's 50 m Breaststroke - Semifinal 01:-Women's 50 m Breaststroke - Semifinal 02:-Women's 50 m Breaststroke - Heat 01:-Women's 50 m Breaststroke - Heat 02:-Women's 50 m Breaststroke - Heat 03:...
- Swimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games - Women's 100 metres breaststrokeSwimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games - Women's 100 metres breaststroke-Women's 100 m Breaststroke - Final:-Women's 100 m Breaststroke - Semifinal 01:-Women's 100 m Breaststroke - Semifinal 02:-Women's 100 m Breaststroke - Heat 01:-Women's 100 m Breaststroke - Heat 02:-Women's 100 m Breaststroke - Heat 03:...
- Swimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games - Women's 200 metres breaststrokeSwimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games - Women's 200 metres breaststroke-Women's 200 m Breaststroke - Final:-Women's 200 m Breaststroke - Heat 01:-Women's 200 m Breaststroke - Heat 02:...
- Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metre breaststrokeSwimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metre breaststrokeThe women's 100m breaststroke at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held August 15 & 16, 2004 .-Medalist:-Records:The World and Olympic Records at the start of the event were:-Heats:-Semifinals:...
- Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 200 metre breaststrokeSwimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 200 metre breaststrokeThese are the results of the Women's 200 metre breaststroke, one of sixteen events for female competitors in Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Records:-Heat 1:# Jaclyn Pangilinan, – 2:33.38# Eeva Saarinen, – 2:34.17...
- Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 4 x 100 metre medley relaySwimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 4 x 100 metre medley relayThe women's 4×100 metre medley relay was a swimming event held as part of the Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics programme. The competition was held on August 20, 2004 and on August 21, 2004.77 swimmers from 16 nations competed.-Medalists:...
- List of Canadian athletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Swimming at the 1999 Pan American GamesSwimming at the 1999 Pan American GamesThe swimming competition at the 1999 Pan American Games took place in the Pan Am Pool in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from August 2-7, 1999.In 32 events, the USA team won 10 golds, 7 by the women: the last time either the U.S. men's or women's team won fewer than ten golds was 1963, when there were only...
- 1998 Commonwealth Games1998 Commonwealth GamesThe 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
- 1997 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships1997 Pan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsThe seventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in Fukuoka, Japan, from August 10–13, 1997.-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:**...
External links
- Lauren van Oosten.com A website Lauren's sister, Elaine, made for her upon making the 2004 Olympic team.
- sports-reference