Marcel Wouda

Marcel Wouda

Personal information
Full name	Marcel Reinier Wouda
Nationality	Netherlands
Born	23 January 1972 (1972-01-23) (age 39) Tilburg, Netherlands
Height	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)
Weight	92 kg (200 lb; 14.5 st)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Individual medley
Club	Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven
Medal record Men’s swimming Competitor for the  Netherlands Olympic Games Bronze 2000 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 1998 Perth 200 m medley Silver 1998 Perth 400 m medley Silver 1998 Perth 4×200 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 1999 Hong Kong 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1999 Hong Kong 400 m medley Silver 1999 Hong Kong 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1999 Hong Kong 200 m medley European Championships (LC) Gold Seville 1997 200 m medley Gold Seville 1997 400 m medley Gold Istanbul 1999 200 m medley Gold Istanbul 1999 4×100 m freestyle Gold Istanbul 1999 4×100 m medley Silver Seville 1997 4×200 m freestyle Bronze Sheffield 1993 400 m medley Bronze Istanbul 1999 400 m medley Bronze Helsinki 2000 4×200 m freestyle European Championships (SC) Gold 1996 Rostock 100 m medley Gold 1996 Rostock 200 m medley Gold 1996 Rostock 400 m medley Gold 1998 Sheffield 400 m medley Gold 1999 Lisbon 200 m medley Silver 1998 Sheffield 200 m medley Bronze 1999 Lisbon 100 m medley Bronze 1999 Lisbon 4x500 m freestyle

Marcel Reinier Wouda (born 23 January 1972 in Tilburg, Noord-Brabant) is a former Dutch swimmer, who became Holland's first world champion when he won the world title in the 200 m individual medley at the FINA 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Australia. He is currently the coach of Olympic Champions Maarten van der Weijden and Hinkelien Schreuder at the Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven.

Swimming career

Wouda grew up in Uden, where he joined the 'De Zeester' swimming club at a very young age. His trainers were Martien Swinkels and Rob Kennis, who brought him to the top of Dutch swimming. Wouda made his Olympic debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he was the sole male in the Dutch squad of eight females ending 22nd in the 200 m individual medley and 19th in the 400 m individual medley.

Move to the United States

Afterwards he moved to the United States, where he joined University of Michigan in Ann Arbor under the guidance of trainer-coach Jon Urbanchek, alongside swimmers like Eric Namesnik, Gustavo Borges and Tom Dolan. At the European LC Championships 1993 in Sheffield he won the bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley.

Back to Brabant

Two years after he left Wouda moved back to the Netherlands, where trainer-coach Jacco Verhaeren brought him back to the top. Wouda got his second Olympic selection when he qualified for the 1996 Summer Olympics. There he reached a 4th place in the 200 m individual medley and a 5th place in the 400 m individual medley, with the 4×200 m freestyle he ended 7th alongside Mark van der Zijden, Martin van der Spoel and Pieter van den Hoogenband. At the European LC Championships 1997 he became European champion in the 200 m and 400 m individual medley and won a silver medal in the 4×200 m freestyle together with Pieter van den Hoogenband, Mark van der Zijden and Martijn Zuijdweg.

Becoming World Champion

At the 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Western Australia, Australia Wouda became world champion in the 200 m individual medley and won two silver medals in the 400 m individual medley and the 4×200 m freestyle alongside van den Hoogenband, van der Zijden and Zuijdweg. In April 1999 at the 1999 FINA Short Course World Championships in Hong Kong, China Wouda won four medals. He became world champion in the 4×200 m freestyle alongside Pieter van den Hoogenband, Johan Kenkhuis and Martijn Zuijdweg. He won silver medals in the 400 m individual medley and the 4×100 m freestyle together with Mark Veens, Johan Kenkhuis and Pieter van den Hoogenband, in the 200 m individual medley he won a bronze medal. In the summer of 1999 Wouda took part in the European LC Championships 1999 in Istanbul, Turkey. He successfully defended his title in the 200 m individual medley and won the relay titles in the 4×100 m freestyle, with Kenkhuis, Veens and van den Hoogenband, and the 4×100 m medley with Klaas-Erik Zwering, Stefan Aartsen and van den Hoogenband. He also won the bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley.

Sydney Olympics

On the road to the Sydney Olympics Wouda took part in the European LC Championships 2000 in Helsinki, Finland where he won a bronze medal in the 4×200 m freestyle together with Martijn Zuijdweg, Mark van der Zijden and Pieter van den Hoogenband. Wouda won a bronze medal in the 4×200 m freestyle relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia alongside Martijn Zuijdweg, Johan Kenkhuis and Pieter van den Hoogenband. Individually he ended 5th in the 200 m individual medley and 13th in the 100 m breaststroke. With the 4×100 m medley team he ended 4th just missing out for a medal alongside Klaas-Erik Zwering, Joris Keizer and Pieter van den Hoogenband. In the aftermath of the Sydney Olympics Wouda resigned from swimming. Six months later a journalist from Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad, Mark Hoogstad, wrote a book describing the resurrection of Dutch swimming at the hand of Wouda's career.

Coaching career

Wouda was the head coach of Dutch junior swimming for two years, before being named assistant-coach of Verhaeren in Eindhoven, in October 2006. He guided Maarten van der Weijden to his world title in the 25 km and the Olympic title in the 10 km. He is also the coach of Hinkelien Schreuder who was part of the Dutch golden 4×100 m freestyle team and reached an individual 7th place in the 50 m freestyle.

Swimmers currently coached^[1]

• Allen Lindenberg
• Arjen van der Meulen
• Bastiaan Tamminga
• Hinkelien Schreuder
• Job Kienhuis
• Joeri Verlinden
• Linsy Heister
• Maaike Waaijer
• Maarten van der Weijden
• Robert Lijesen
• Tom Vangeneugden
• Wendy van der Zanden

See also

• Dutch records in swimming
• List of swimmers

External links

• Marcel Wouda website

References

• Marcel Wouda's profile at Zwemkroniek.com
• Hoogstad, Mark (2001). De Macht van Water – Marcel Wouda en de opkomst van het Nederlandse zwemmen. Amsterdam: Prometheus/NRC Handelsblad. ISBN 90-446-0068-0. 

1. ^ Training groups of the Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven

Records
Preceded by Jani Sievinen	Men's 400 metre individual medley world record holder (short course) 1 February 1997 – 24 September 1998	Succeeded by Matthew Dunn
Awards
Preceded by Richard Krajicek	Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1997	Succeeded by Gianni Romme

Persondata
Name	Wouda, Marcel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	23 January 1972
Place of birth	Tilburg, Netherlands
Date of death
Place of death