Three-time Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo has given birth to her first child, a daughter, she revealed on social media Tuesday.
Kromowidjojo, 34, and husband Ferry Weertman welcomed their daughter, Livia Weertman, to the world on Feb. 26.
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Kromowidjojo and Weertman announced that they were expecting their first child in the fall, captioning their photo: Making waves in a whole new way! Our little swimmer has already won it’s first race.
Kromowidjojo joins Katinka Hosszu (who gave birth in August 2023) and Sarah Sjostrom (who announced she is expecting a child in August) as three of the best European female swimmers of the 2010s begin transition into the next stage of their lives (though Hosszu made a competitive comeback and Sjostrom plans on doing so).
Kromowidjojo and Weertman are both Dutch Olympic swimming champions, with Kromowidjojo having a distinguished career in the pool and Weertman being one of the best open water swimmers of his era.
As a teenager, Kromowidjojo won Olympic gold in the women’s 4×100 free relay at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, providing a 53.39 second leg as the Dutch women broke the Olympic Record (3:33.76) to beat the Americans (3:34.33).
Four years later, Kromowidjojo won double gold in London, sweeping the women’s 50 free (24.05) and 100 free (53.00), setting new Olympic Records in both.
She finished her career as a four-time Olympian, also swimming in Rio (6th in 50 free, 5th in 100 free) and Tokyo (4th in 50 free, 16th in 100 free).
Kromowidjojo also won 17 medals at the Long Course World Championships during her career, including three gold and one individual world title in the 50 free in 2013, and she amassed an incredible 28 medals at the Short Course World Championships, 14 of them gold. That included winning four SC world titles in the 50 free (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018), two in the 100 free (2010, 2018) and one in the 50 fly (2018).
She formerly held the world record in the SCM 50 free (22.93), only broken recently by Gretchen Walsh (22.83), and still has her name in the world record books as part of the Dutch women’s 4×50 free relay (SCM).
Weertman, 32, went on an unprecedented run of dominance in the men’s 10km event on the international stage from 2014 until 2018, highlighted by winning Olympic gold in Rio.
Weerman was the 2014 European champion in the event, won silver at the 2015 World Championships, and then claimed Olympic gold in 2016, emerging in a razor-thin battle with 11 swimmers finishing within five seconds of one another. He followed up by winning the 2017 world title and defending his European title in 2018.
He placed 7th in the men’s 10km at the Tokyo Olympics, and announced his retirement four months later in December 2021.
The following month, Kromowidjojo announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
Weertman and Kromowidjojo got married in September 2022 after getting engaged in December 2019.
Wonderful piece of news
Livia is a Pisces! ♓️
Congratulations. Also, best swimming name ever.
Their child is going to be world’s best mid-distance swimmer