Inge Dekker

Infobox Swimmer
swimmername = Inge Dekker

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imagesize = 200px
caption = Dekker walks behind Marleen Veldhuis
fullname = Inge Dekker
nicknames =
nationality = NED
strokes =
club = Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven
collegeteam =
birthdate = bda|1985|8|18
birthplace = Assen, Netherlands
deathdate =
deathplace =
height = height|m=1.83
weight = 67 kg
medaltemplates =MedalGold| 2008 Beijing | 4x100m Freestyle [http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/swimming/n214524246.shtml]

Inge Dekker (born August 18, 1985 in Assen, Drenthe) is a butterfly and freestyle swimmer from the Netherlands, who won the bronze medal with the Dutch Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay Team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She did so alongside Inge de Bruijn, Marleen Veldhuis and Chantal Groot.

Swimming career

Dekker made her international senior debut at the European SC Championships 2001 in Antwerp, Belgium. Her first big individual title came on August 4, 2006, when she won the 100m Butterfly at the European LC Championships 2006 in Budapest, Hungary.

Together with Chantal Groot, Hinkelien Schreuder and Marleen Veldhuis, Dekker set a world record and won a gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships.

2007

In the last week of March 2007 she competed in the 2007 World Championships (LC) in Melbourne, Australia. She brought two bronze medals back home, the first one in the 4x100 freestyle relay together with Femke Heemskerk, Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Marleen Veldhuis. And later on she won an individual bronze medal in the 50 m butterfly after already finishing 4th in the 100 m butterfly.

At the end of the year at the Dutch Open Swim Cup in Eindhoven she ensured her ticket for the 2008 Olympics in the 100 m butterfly and the 200 m freestyle. After the second day of the tournament she had to withdraw from the 50 m and 100 m freestyle because she was ill. One week later she was enough recovered to start in the European SC Championships 2007 in Debrecen, Hungary. Where she won the the 100 m butterfly and the 4x50 freestyle together with Hinkelien Schreuder, Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Marleen Veldhuis. She also won silver in the 50 m butterfly behind Anna-Karin Kammerling.

2008

The first big tournament of 2008 was the European LC Championships 2008 in her hometown Eindhoven. Dekker competed in many events as a test for the Olympics after a good start at the first day, She swam the first leg in the worldrecord breaking and gold medal winning 4x100 freestyle relay alongside Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk and Marleen Veldhuis. She won silver medals in the 50 m and 100 m butterfly and also twice bronze in the 100 m freestyle and 4x100 medley relay, with Hinkelien Schreuder, Jolijn van Valkengoed and Marleen Veldhuis, where she swam the butterfly leg.

A few weeks later she took part in the 2008 FINA Short Course World Championships in Manchester, United Kingdom. She broke two relay world records, first in 4x200 freestyle relay with Femke Heemskerk, Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Marleen Veldhuis. Later on they did the same in 4x100 freestyle relay where Kromowidjojo, who suffered from an elbow injury, was replaced by Hinkelien Schreuder. Individually she won bronze in the 50 m butterfly but dropped out of the 100 m because she was little bit ill and preferred to save energy for the 4x100 freestyle relay.

In the Olympics she will start individually in the 100 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly, she also starts in 4x100 freestyle and 4x100 m medley relays. In the 4x100 m freestyle relay in the first finals session she won an olympic gold medal together with Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk and Marleen Veldhuis in a time of 3:33.76 just 0.14 outside their own world record. She also qualified for the 100 m butterfly final.

Personal Bests

ee also

*Dutch records in swimming

External links

* Swim Rankings [http://www.swimrankings.net/index.php?page=athleteDetail&athleteId=1543504 profile]
* [http://www.ingedekker.com/ Homepage]

References

* [http://www.zwemkroniek.com/whoswho.php?action=1&id=35 Profile on Zwemkroniek (in Dutch)]