Bouwmeester back to his old level and ready to fight for Play

“For me it’s a completely different Olympic campaign than any other,” says the Friesian, who became pregnant shortly after finishing third at the postponed 2021 Tokyo Games. Bouwmeester gave birth in May last year and began training soon after. She made her comeback in the fall. The four-time Laser Radial world champion finished ninth at the World Championships in Texas, third at the European Championships in Hyères and recently scored her first win as a dam at a competition in Portugal.

“It was an important confirmation. I’m back where I wanted to be. Everything is going according to plan,” said Bouwmeester, who is aiming for his fourth Olympic medal next year after silver at London 2012. gold in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo.

“I didn’t play the way I wanted to in Tokyo. But even if I had won gold there, I would have continued. I think top sport is great, the pressure of having to perform and to always look for opportunities to improve. I feel that I can still become better than I have ever been. I look with great admiration to the people who have taken their sport to another level, athletes like Usain Bolt, Roger Federer and Sven Kramer. Anyone who is good can win once. But winning time and time again is the hardest part. This challenge motivates me. I think I still have a chance to win the ‘gold.

Bouwmeester competes in the Ilca 6 class with Maxime Jonker and Mirthe Akkerman for a place in the Games. In principle, the sailor who performs best at the World Cup in August in The Hague and at the World Cup in Argentina at the beginning of next year will go. However, the three competitors also agreed that one of them could qualify earlier, finishing in the top 3 in both the Olympic test event in Marseille and the World Cup. in The Hague. Only one Dutch sailor may also participate in the test event. He will be the one who performs best at the European Championship in Italy and at the World Cup in Mallorca in April.

“At the end of the day, the best ones just have to go to the Games. I want to be there next year, so I have to be good now,” said Bouwmeester, confident that she will win the internal battle. “Everyone has to select themselves. I want to show the best version of myself. If I underperform now, I won’t win gold at the Games either.”