Jeroen Straathof, Date of Birth, Place of Birth

    

Jeroen Straathof

Dutch cyclist and speed skater

Date of Birth: 18-Nov-1972

Place of Birth: Zoeterwoude, South Holland, Netherlands

Profession: sport cyclist, speed skater, track cyclist

Nationality: Kingdom of the Netherlands

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio


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About Jeroen Straathof

  • Johannes Nicolaas Maria ("Jeroen") Straathof (born 18 November 1972) is a retired Dutch racing cyclist and speed skater.
  • Straathof was the first, and still the only, athlete in the world to represent his country at the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics and the Paralympics. Straathof started his sports career as a speed skater, becoming World Junior Champion in Warsaw 1992.
  • His best distance was the 1500 metres, and as the longest distances were his worst he only participated in one international all-round championship in his career.
  • He made his Olympic debut at the 1994 Winter Olympics held in Lillehammer.
  • He was qualified for the 1500 metres and placed 9th.
  • In 1996 the World Single Distance Championships were introduced, and Straathof became the first World Champion over 1500 metres.
  • He was never able to equal this performance or come close to winning another medal, and he made a switch to track cycling. As pilot at the tandem he teamed up with visually handicapped cyclist Jan Mulder.
  • In 1998 they took part in the World Championships and won the silver medal.
  • At the 1999 European Championships they won the gold, and a year later they were acclaimed 2000 Summer Paralympics champions. Straathof decided to make another switch, and became part of the Dutch Team Pursuit team that qualified for the 2002 World Championships, where they placed seventh.
  • A year later they placed 9th, and in 2004 they improved their ranking to the fourth position.
  • The team, composed of Straathof, Jens Mouris, Peter Schep and Levi Heimans, also qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics where they came in fifth.
  • After those Olympics Straathof ended his professional sports career. Finally, Straathof is one of the few athletes who have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games.

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