Mike van der Zanden
Encyclopedia
Mike van der Zanden (born March 9, 1987 in Tilburg
) is a Dutch
paraplegic swimmer
.
Van der Zanden represented the Netherlands at the 2004
and 2008 Summer Paralympics
in Athens
and Beijing
. In Athens he won the bronze medal at the 100 m freestyle in the S10 class. Four years later in Beijing he finished second in his qualification heat at the 100m butterfly behind David Julian Levecq. His time of 59.97 seconds was the fourth time overall and he qualified for the final. In the final Andre Brasil
from Brazil
swam a new world record of 56.47 seconds, but Van der Zanden improved his time to 59.39 seconds, again behind Levocq, but in front of Benoît Huot
to win his second Paralympic bronze medal.
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
paraplegic swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
.
Van der Zanden represented the Netherlands at the 2004
Netherlands at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Netherlands competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The team included 95 athletes, 53 men and 42 women. Competitors from Netherlands won 29 medals, including 5 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze to finish 27th in the medal table....
and 2008 Summer Paralympics
Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
The Netherlands competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.A total of 83 Dutch competitors took part in 13 sports. The athletes that qualified for the 2008 Summer Paralympics are listed below.-Medalists:- Archery:1 competitor:Women...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. In Athens he won the bronze medal at the 100 m freestyle in the S10 class. Four years later in Beijing he finished second in his qualification heat at the 100m butterfly behind David Julian Levecq. His time of 59.97 seconds was the fourth time overall and he qualified for the final. In the final Andre Brasil
Andre Brasil
Andre Brasil is a swimmer who won gold for Brazil at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. He also broke a Paralympic record. He had poliomyelitis as a child.- References :...
from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
swam a new world record of 56.47 seconds, but Van der Zanden improved his time to 59.39 seconds, again behind Levocq, but in front of Benoît Huot
Benoit Huot
Benoit Huot is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer of the 21st century, who has won six gold medals for Canada, primarily in the freestyle and butterfly strokes....
to win his second Paralympic bronze medal.