Enith Brigitha
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Enith Sijtje Maria•Brigitha (-Salle) |
| Used name | Enith•Brigitha |
| Born | 15 April 1955 in Willemstad, Curaçao (CUR) |
| Measurements | 174 cm / 67 kg |
| Affiliations | Het Y, Amsterdam (NED) |
| NOC |  Netherlands |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 0 |
| Silver | 0 |
| Bronze | 2 |
| Total | 2 |
Biography
Born on the West Indian island of Curaçao, Enith Brigitha learned to swim in the Caribbean Sea. A rare swimmer on the Netherlands Antilles, her career took a positive turn when her divorced mother moved to the Netherlands when she was a teenager. Brigitha quickly became the best Dutch swimmer of the 1970s. Between 1973 and 1979, she collected 21 Dutch titles, in freestyle, backstroke, medley and butterfly. Brigitha won the Dutch 100 m freestyle title seven times in a row. Internationally, she collected many medals as well, although never a golden one: Brigitha won seven medals in European Championships, four in World Championships and two in the 1976 Olympics. She was usually beaten by swimmers from East Germany, many of whom later admitted to doping use, and Brigitha currently considers herself an Olympic champion. Brigitha moved back to Curaçao in 1990, and currently owns her own swimming school for children.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | NED |
Enith Brigitha | |||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 8 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Netherlands | 5 | ||||
| 100 metres Backstroke, Women (Olympic) | 6 | |||||
| 200 metres Backstroke, Women (Olympic) | 6 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Medley Relay, Women (Olympic) | Netherlands | 5 | ||||
| 1976 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | NED |
Enith Brigitha | |||
| 100 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| 200 metres Freestyle, Women (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women (Olympic) | Netherlands | 4 | ||||
| 100 metres Backstroke, Women (Olympic) | 9 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Medley Relay, Women (Olympic) | Netherlands | 5 |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a European Record in Long Course Swimming (200 m freestyle – 25 July 1974 - 22 August 1974: 2:05.14 (25 July 1974; Utrecht, NED); 100 m backstroke – 15 April 1973 - 21 July 1973: 1:06.20 (15 April 1973; Dortmund, FRG), 1:06.12 (14 July 1973; Meppel, NED); 200 m backstroke – 4 September 1972 and 26 April 1974 - 7 July 1974: 2:23.7 (4 September 1972; München, FRG), 2:20.27 (26 April 1974; Coventry, GBR); 4×100 m medley relay – 18 April 1972 - 3 September 1972: 4:30.0 (18 April 1972; Hannover, FRG))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a European Record in Short Course Swimming (200 m freestyle – 6 March 1976 - 9 January 1993: 1:58.83 (6 March 1976; Bremen, FRG))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Aquatics Championships (0–4–3 1974 Wien SWM silver: 200 m freestyle and 4×100 m freestyle relay, bronze: 100 m freestyle, 100 m backstroke, and 200 m backstroke; 1977 Jönköping SWM silver: 100 m freestyle and 4×100 m freestyle relay)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Aquatics Championships (0–1–4 1973 Belgrade SWI silver: 200 m backstroke, bronze: 100 m freestyle; 1975 Cali SWI bronze: 100 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, and 4×100 m medley relay)
- Listed in Olympians Who Were Elected Dutch Athlete of the Year (1973, 1974)