ROWING – Rower Ilse Paulis from Dalen has decided after much deliberation to end her top sport career. The Rio 2016 Olympic champion has nearly completed her medical studies and will now focus on her medical career.
Paulis (28) won a gold medal in the lightweight double sculls at the Rio Olympics together with Maaike Head. Four years later in Tokyo she and Marieke Keijser added a bronze medal to her list of achievements. Keijser, who, like Paulis, took a break after the Games, already said goodbye to top sport in April.
Paulis had to stop her studies for an extra year due to the postponement of the Games due to corona. “I wanted to make up for that delay and complete it in one go,” she explains via rowing association KNRB. In the meantime, she came to the conclusion that rowing at the highest level is no longer possible. “I’m going to miss it, but I know it’s the right choice. I’m now looking forward to putting all my energy and enthusiasm into my medical career.”