Robin van Roosmalen
Robin van Roosmalen lost his sister in an accident along the highway in January and was seriously injured himself. The kickboxer elaborated on his grief in a candid interview with reporter Lars van Soest. “I would like to be paralyzed all my life if Melissa could still live.”
Koen Verweij
ⓒ RENE BUILDINGMAN
Koen Verweij
Koen Verweij spoke with Nick Tol about his preparation for the Olympic Games next February. Of course, his relationship with teammate Jutta Leerdam was also discussed. „If we both win Olympic gold in Beijing, and then on medal plaza asking the question of questions… That would of course be a dream scenario, haha.”
Lewis Hamilton
ⓒ HH/ANP
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton dramatically lost the Formula 1 world title to Max Verstappen in December. However, the Mercedes driver has more than just sporting goals, he told De Telegraaf reporter Erik van Haren around the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “I have a niece and nephew of five and six years old. What can I do to make sure they don’t go through what I’ve been through?”
Bert Kops
ⓒ Richard Simmons
Bert Kops
An interview by Nick Tol with martial arts icon Bert Kops, who has had a tumultuous life, but has now ended up in calmer waters. “Use your brain, I always say. It rarely ends well when you get into that crime world. I was incredibly lucky in that regard.”
Stefano Domenicalic
Erik van Haren spoke with Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali around the Grand Prix of Italy, who discussed the success of the race in Zandvoort and the high-profile battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Zandvoort was a new milestone in the history of the sport.
Formula 1 legend Alain Prost was delighted with the return of the Dutch Grand Prix.
ⓒ ANP/HH
Alain Prosto
Just before Max Verstappen’s historic victory at Zandvoort, Erik van Haren had an interview with Alain Prost, four-time Formula 1 world champion and the last living winner of the Dutch Grand Prix until then. The Frenchman speaks lyrically about the circuit and the Dutchman in the service of Red Bull. “Everyone is a fan of Max, right?”
Harrie Lavreysen does it again on the keirin.
ⓒ ANP/HH
Harry Lavreysen
Harry Lavreysen did not become sportsman of the year in 2021, but the track cyclist did experience the year of his life. A report by Hans Ruggenberg about Lavreysen, who defeated the keirin Jeffrey Hoogland in a true thriller during the World Cup final. This story was published on October 21, 2021.
Dennis Warmerdam.
ⓒ Matty Van Wijnbergen.
Dennis Warmerdam
Hockey player Dennis Warmerdam made his debut in the Dutch national team this year. This happened three years after a rare cancer was diagnosed in his arm and there were fears of an arm amputation. Warmerdam kept his arm, however, and fought his way back to the Dutch hockey top. “I felt like I had fooled everyone.”
Marilyn Timber
It is a unique fact that two protagonists of a loaded Eredivisie match such as Ajax-FC Utrecht can already discuss the match together in their attic room the night before the confrontation. The football twins Jurriën (Ajax) and Quinten Timber (FC Utrecht) were inseparable all his life, but played each other for the first time in October. A strange sensation for Mother Marilyn Timber.
Dirk Uittenbogaard
During the Olympic Games in Tokyo, rower Dirk Uittenbogaard fulfilled his emotional promise to climb the highest step of Olympus for his blood gabber Daan Brühl. The great rowing promise who died at the age of 19 in a fatal accident. This story was written by Steven Kooijman and published on June 28.
In the coming days, this post will be supplemented with even more Sport in 2021 stories.