Dutch Hoogenband Retires

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Dutch Hoogenband Retires
Topic Started: Dec 8 2008, 01:12 AM (79 Views)
galahs	Dec 8 2008, 01:12 AM Post #1
Four of a Kind Posts: 35,267 Group: Admin Member #2 Joined: 27 September 2005	Triple Olympic swimming champion Pieter van de Hoogenband has announced his official retirement from the sport. The 30-year-old Dutchman announced the news in front of a 2000-strong crowd attending a swimming meet in Eindhoven. Also in attendance was retired Australian great Ian Thorpe, his former rival. Thorpe's arrival was a major surprise. He said he "didn't want to miss such an important moment in Pieter's life". Applauded by the crowd and given an emotional standing ovation, van den Hoogenband, also known as "VDH", kept to his promise of ending his career on December 7. "I competed for the last time in Beijing (at the Olympics) but I didn't want to leave you all before saying goodbye and, above all, thank you," said den Hoogenband, after receiving plaudits from the city's mayor and the Dutch swimming federation president. Van den Hoogenband was one of the stars of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where he won gold in the men's 100 and 200 metre freestyle, leaving Thorpe with silver in the 200m. The Australian however won a further three golds in Sydney, from the 400m and 4x100 and 4x200m relays. In Athens four years later van den Hoogenband left Thorpe with the bronze as he sped to a second consecutive 100m gold. Thorpe made amends by winning gold in the 200m, with van den Hoogenband taking the silver. Van den Hoogenband had dreamed of making history by winning a third consecutive 100m gold at Beijing, but finished fourth in a final won by Frenchman Alain Bernard. -AFP



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