Kees van Vugt was born in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies. As most of the Dutch inhabitants, he was held in an internment camp during the Japenese occupation of the Indies. Upon liberation, he fell into a coma and barely survived. He was sent to the Netherlands to recover, where it was recommended he pick up rowing to regain his strength. He continued to row as a student, with student rowing club Laga (from Delft). In the coxless fours, they won the 1951 Dutch championships and their event at the Varsity (the main student race in the Netherlands), earning them a spot at the European Championships in Mâcon, France. They fared poorly, but again did well nationally in 1952, and they qualified for the Helsinki Olympics. There, they were eliminated in the repêchage when they “caught a crab”, causing them to come to a full stop while leading their heat. Van Vugt retired after the Games to complete his studies as a civil engineer. He later worked in management career development.
Netherlands