Kromo And Soon-To-Retire Heemskerk Left Off Dutch Roster For Short Course Euros

2021 LEN EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• November 2nd – November 7th
• Palace of Water Sports Kazan, Russia
• SCM (25m)
• Meet Site

The Royal Dutch Swimming Federation has released its 20-person roster for the upcoming European Short Course Swimming Championships which will be held in Kazan, Russia from November 2 – 7.

• Read the federation’s full press release here.

While the nation will send some of its top swimmers to the meet, two of the Netherlands’ most successful swimmers in recent history are absent from the roster. Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Femke Heemskerk, who between them have won 40 short course Euros medals, will not be racing in Kazan.

Of those two, Heemskerk is the less surprising omission considering that she recently announced her upcoming retirement. The 4-time Olympic sprinter and current Energy Standard team member will retire from the sport after her final ISL match of the season.

Kromowidjojo on the other hand is a more surprising swimmer to opt-out of the competition as she has not shared any similar plans to Heemskerk. The most likely reason that she won’t swim at Euros is that her International Swimming League team, team Iron, is set to begin competing in playoffs on November 11, just 4 days after Euros ends.

Considering that Iron is the lowest-ranked team advancing into the playoffs, Kromowidjojo could be saving up to maximizing her point-scoring ability during ISL playoffs.

Kromowidjojo, the 2012 Olympic champion in the 50 and 100 freestyles, and Heemskerk, who is an Olympic champion in the 4×100 freestyle, will leave a significant gap in the Dutch roster. Without either of them on the team, Marrit Steenbergen, Kim Busch, and Tamara van Vliet will swim the 50 freestyle, and Steenbergen, Busch, Valerie van Roon, and Maaike de Waard will swim the 100 freestyle.

Along with those women, the Dutch will bring Olympic silver medalist in the 100 and 200 breaststroke Arno Kamminga, Olympic finalist in the 100 backstroke Kira Toussaint, and Olympic finalist in the 50 freestyle Thom de Boer.

At the most recent European Short Course Championships, the Netherlands finished 3rd on the medals table with 5 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze.

Check out the full Dutch roster for the 2021 European Championships below.

Women

• Kira Toussaint: 50, 100 and 200 backstroke, 50 freestyle
• Maaike de Waard: 100 free, 50 and 100 back, 50 and 100 butterfly
• Tessa Giele: 50 back, 50 butterfly
• Marrit Steenbergen: 50, 100 and 200 free, 100 IM
• Tes Schouten: 50 and 100 breaststroke;
• Kim Busch: 50 and 100 free, 50 breaststroke, 50 butterfly, 100 IM
• Tamara van Vliet: 50 free
• Silke Holkenberg: 200 and 400 free, 200 IM
• Imani de Jong: 200, 400 and 800 free
• Valerie van Roon: 100 free

Men

• Arno Kamminga: 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke
• Thom de Boer: 50 and 100 free, 50 butterfly
• Luc Kroon: 100, 200 and 400 free
• Jesse Puts: 50 and 100 free, 50 butterfly
• Stan Pijnenburg: 50, 100 and 200 free, 100 IM
• Kenzo Simons: 50 free, 50 butterfly
• Thomas Verhoeven: 50 and 100 butterfly
• Ties Elzerman: 50 breaststroke
• Maarten Brzoskowski: 200 and 400 free
• Tim Hoogerwerf: 200 free