Erik de Bruin

Talented in both the shot put and discus throw, Erik de Bruin competed in the final of both these events at the Los Angeles Olympics. Subsequently concentrating on the discus, de Bruin captured international medals at the 1990 European Championships (silver) and the 1991 World Championships (silver). He was favored for a medal at the Barcelona Olympics, but missed the competition due to mononucleosis. In Spain, he did meet the woman who would become his wife, the then unknown Irish swimmer Michelle Smith. In 1993, de Bruin’s career abruptly ended when he was had a doping positive briefly before the World Championships in Stuttgart. De Bruin always maintained his innocence, and he was eventually cleared of wrongdoing by the Dutch federation. Nevertheless, the IAAF upheld a four-year ban, and de Bruin never competed again. Between 1981 and 1993, he had won a total of 38 Dutch titles, 13 in both indoor and outdoor shot put, and 12 in the discus throw. He again made headlines in 1996, when he coached his wife to three Olympic titles in swimming, amid widespread but unproven rumours of doping use. Two years later Smith was found guilty of tampering with a urine sample and, like her husband, banned from competition for four years. The couple live in Ireland, where Smith works as a barrister. Erik’s younger sister, Corrie de Bruin is a former junior world champion in the discus throw.

Personal Bests: SP – 20.95 (1986); DT – 68.12 (1991).