Rie Vierdag

Rie Vierdag participated in her third Olympics at Los Angeles, after 1924 and 1928, finally winning a silver medal in the 4×100 freestyle relay. In 1927, she had already won an international title at the European Championships, when, after a dead heat with Joyce Cooper, Vierdag was awarded the title when Cooper was too fatigued to attend the swim-off. Cooper got her revenge in the relay, as the British women defeated the Dutch team. At the 1931 edition, Vierdag claimed her second European title, winning the 4×100 freestyle relay. She won only one national championship, in the 100 m freestyle in 1929, but did set eight national records, including one in the 1500 m freestyle. In addition, the time that was achieved by the Dutch squad in Los Angeles was a European Record. Vierdag died in 2005, just two months shy of her 100th birthday. She was one of the first Dutch world class swimmers and later became a physical education teacher and physical therapist.