Yvonne Hijgenaar
Encyclopedia
Yvonne Hijgenaar is a Dutch
racing cyclist and former national speed skater.
national team. In 2001 she switched from skating to track cycling
after finding she rode so much better than she skated that she could often ride by male riders in training. When her former skating team-mates made technical advances better than she could, she stayed permanently in cycling.
"When I look at the number of national championships, world championships and an Olympic Games that I've ridden, I am happy with my choice," she said.
In November 2007 she trained with the national team of Australia
in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
. "Track racing in the Netherlands is a small sport and we do not have a coaching team available for 12 months of the year as they do in Australia. If only we did." she said.
, the first time the competition had been included for women in the World Championships. She was on equal points with Tara Whitten
of Canada
but missed out on that medal despite winning the 200 m flying start time trial and 500 m time trial events in the omnium.
She has now set the London
Olympics of 2012 as a possible end to her career. If she fails to win a medal, she predicts she will stop.
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
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...
racing cyclist and former national speed skater.
Background
Hijgenaar is a former speed skater who for two years was in the NetherlandsNetherlands
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...
national team. In 2001 she switched from skating to track cycling
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
after finding she rode so much better than she skated that she could often ride by male riders in training. When her former skating team-mates made technical advances better than she could, she stayed permanently in cycling.
"When I look at the number of national championships, world championships and an Olympic Games that I've ridden, I am happy with my choice," she said.
Olympic Games
Hijgenaar represented the Netherlands at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens where she took part in the individual sprint as well as the 500 metres time trial. She did not impress in the individual sprint where she finished 11th. However, her 500 metres time trial time of 34.532 (52.125 km/h) brought her fifth.In November 2007 she trained with the national team of 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...
in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in 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...
. "Track racing in the Netherlands is a small sport and we do not have a coaching team available for 12 months of the year as they do in Australia. If only we did." she said.
2009 World Championships
Hijgenaar won her fourth World Championship medal on 28 March 2009, taking the bronze medal in the Omnium2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships - Women's Omnium
The Women's Omnium was one of the 9 women's events at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, held in Pruszków, Poland.This was the first time a women's omnium event had ever been included in the World Championships. 16 cyclists from 16 countries participated in the contest...
, the first time the competition had been included for women in the World Championships. She was on equal points with Tara Whitten
Tara Whitten
Tara Alice Whitten is an Canadian track racing cyclist from Edmonton.A former cross country skier, she began track racing seriously in 2008 having dabbled in it since 2005...
of Canada
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...
but missed out on that medal despite winning the 200 m flying start time trial and 500 m time trial events in the omnium.
She has now set the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Olympics of 2012 as a possible end to her career. If she fails to win a medal, she predicts she will stop.
Career highlights
2001- 1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
- 2nd Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
2002
- 3rd European Championship, Track, 500 m, U23
- 1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
- 1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
2003
- 3rd Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
- 1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
- 1st Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
- 1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
2004
- 1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
- 1st Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
- 1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
- 3rd Moscow, 500 m (RUS)
- 3rd Moscow, Team Sprint (RUS)
- 1st Manchester, 500 m (GBR)
- 1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
- 2nd Athens Open Balkan Championship, Track, Sprint, Elite/U23 (GRE)
- 2nd Moscow, 500 m (RUS)
2005
- 3rd Los Angeles, 500 m (USA)
- 3rd Sydney, Sprint (AUS)
- 1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
- 3rd 500 m, Track World Championships2005 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Los Angeles, USA from March 24 to March 27, 2005.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
- 3rd Keirin, Track World Championships2005 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Los Angeles, USA from March 24 to March 27, 2005.-Medals table:-Medal summary:-External links:**...
- 2nd Manchester, 500 m (GBR)
- 1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
- 1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
- 1st Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
2006
- 3rd Los Angeles, 500 m (USA)
- 1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
- 3rd Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
- 1st Moscow, Team Sprint (RUS)
2007
- 1st Los Angeles, Team Sprint (USA)
- 2nd Manchester, 500 m (GBR)
- 1st Manchester, Team Sprint (GBR)
- 2nd Team Sprint, Track World Championships2007 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships is the World Championship for track cycling. It took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from March 29, 2007 to April 1, 2007...
- 1st Sydney, Team Sprint (AUS)
- 1st Beijing, Team Sprint (CHN)
- 1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
- 2nd Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
- 2nd Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
2008
- 1st Los Angeles, Team Sprint (USA)
2009
- 3rd Omnium, Track World Championships2009 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the BGŻ Arena in Pruszków, Poland from 25 to 29 March 2009...
- 2nd Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup ClassicsThe 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics is a multi race tournament over a season of track cycling. The season runs from 30 October 2009 to 24 January 2010...
, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... - 2nd Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup ClassicsThe 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics is a multi race tournament over a season of track cycling. The season runs from 30 October 2009 to 24 January 2010...
, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... - 1st Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup ClassicsThe 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics is a multi race tournament over a season of track cycling. The season runs from 30 October 2009 to 24 January 2010...
, CaliCalìCalì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...