Dutch Olympian Femke Heemskerk has announced she will be retiring from competitive swimming effective after the current International Swimming League season (ISL). Heemskerk is a member of Team Energy Standard, one of the squads set to battle it out in the playoffs next month.
Regarding the hanging up of her goggles, the 34-year-old freestyle ace stated the following on social media today, October 5th: “It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day, It’s a new life, For me And I’m feeling good.
“After 20 years of racing international competitions I’m announcing my retirement during the last competition of the ISL (November / December).
I’m very happy that I’ve learned so much during my swimming career, swam so much faster than I’ve ever imagined, won more medals than I’ve ever wished for and I’m so grateful I got to work with the best of the best and raced my idols till the new generation and upcoming stars.
I’m going to enjoy this last months as a professional athlete and hope to see you all there in Eindhoven! ❤️”
Heemskerk made her first elite international squad competing at the 2005 FINA World Championships and hasn’t looked back, amassing 60 elite medals over the course of her prolific career. She is a 4-time Olympian, having competed in 2008, 2012, 2016 and this past summer in Tokyo, Japan, collecting 4x100m free relay gold in Beijing, as well as silver in the same event in London 4 years later.
Heemskerk most recently took gold in the women’s individual 100m freestyle at the 2020 European Championships. She owns the Dutch national marks in the 100m and 200m freestyle events in long course and the 200m free short course.
Thanks for all the great races! Always up there fighting for the podiums
The best female swimmer to not win an individuK Olympic medal?
One of my absolute favourite swimmers! I feel like we don’t pay enough attention to swimmers like Femke, it’s always the leading swimmers in men’s events who we talk about. There are so many female swimmers out there that have had an outstanding career but will never get the same hype. But I will consider Femke as one of the greatest swimmers of all time!
Femke is one of my faves. I’m glad she stuck around for 2021!
Always smiling and congratulating her competitors, regardless of the result! A pleasure to watch her race and be such a role model in the sport! Congrats Femke
She’s also done so much to bring the mental toll of performing at this level to the public discourse in the Netherlands (whether intentionally or not). Will never forget her 2015 interviews in Kazan – she’s a legend in so many ways. What a swimmer to have had in a small country like the Netherlands, we’re spoiled!
Amazing career! Congrats on the next chapter!
Relay beast!! Congrats!
Beast of a person, you’ll never hear a bad word said about her, total legend
Just recently you could find some bad words about her. How she totally disrespected a fellow Dutch athlete on the 50 freestyle. By taking over position, to only withdraw from the semi-final on the Olympics.. It was a disgrace. Qualified 16th and decided not to participate. Whereas the other athlete would have been very very happy to perform and swim in the semi’s
Disagree with this strongly. She was given an opportunity to qualify in the event after covid stole her ability to compete in Rotterdam, she then beat her compatriot handily and *earned* the birth.
Disagree strongly with you. If apparently the finals do not fit into your schedule. Why so desperately take over that spot? Everyone new the covid rules in advance. If I would have a qualifying moment ahead of me. I would do everything in my power to avoid external factors influencing my presence. Even my wife.. The way she acted ruined someone else carreer
I agree that it was a bad move. I was okay with it up until she withdrew from the Olympic semifinal. If she had swum the race out that’s one thing. But to take the spot and then drop the race? Come. On.