EUR student Marieke Keijser wins bronze medal at the Olympics

On Thursday, rower and EUR student Marieke Keijser won the bronze medal in the Olympic lightweight double sculls event. Keijser and her teammate Ilse Paulis were in the lead for most of the race. However, a mistake towards the end allowed Italy and France to finish ahead of them.

“I’m completely gutted right now,” Keijser told the NOS after the race. “We knew we could do it and we showed it right until the final stretch. But right now ‘I’m completely devastated, if you don’t mind.”

In the end, the duo won the bronze, just 0.01 second ahead of the numbers four. It wasn’t until a finish photo was consulted that Great Britain was found to have finished fourth.

Although Keijser was congratulated online by the university, Erasmus Sport and her rowing club (Skadi), the two rowers were absolutely devastated after the race. “I really thought we’d won the gold. We both did, and that’s what it felt like,” Keijser told an NOS reporter. “I assumed nothing like this would happen, and then it did happen to me. At the moment I can’t tell you what I did wrong. I think I’ll get over it, but it will take a while.”

Skadi President Floor Ruttenberg is is very proud. “As Skadi we are so proud of Keijser and her achievements not just this week, but also in recent years. Besides Keijser, Skadi members Eline Berger and Jasper Tissen will also compete on the Olympic playing field in the Holland Eight.” Berger and Tissen can be seen Friday morning, 30 July, at 03.25 (Dutch time).