Students Linn van Aanholt and Elise de Jong win Rotterdam Topsport Awards

Rower Linn van Aanholt and pole vaulter Elise de Jong have won the Rotterdam Topsport Awards. Van Aanholt was named Sportswoman 2025, while De Jong received the title Sports Talent 2025.

Van Aanholt responded happily to her selection. “It’s really something very special. As an athlete, you don’t always stop to think about everything you’ve achieved. An award like this is a moment to look back at what you did last year.”

The rower could not attend the award ceremony because of selection races for the Dutch team. “My sister and my father went on my behalf. My father messaged me that I had won, and the next day I received the award from my sister after four kilometres of rowing for the selection. That was very sweet.”

Successful sporting year

For Van Aanholt, 2025 was an exceptional sporting year. At the European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, she won gold in the coxless four and silver in the eight. At the world championships in Shanghai, she even claimed the world title in the eight.

The rower is a member of student rowing association Skadi and combined her sports career with a master’s in Economics, which she completed this month. “I train fourteen times a week, often in the mornings. Then I go to the university and in the evening I’m back on the water.” Thanks to her elite athlete status, she received support from the university. “My study adviser and lecturers thought along with my situation. For example, when I had competitions abroad, they knew that I could not be at the lecture. In the end, you still have to do the work, but that flexibility helps enormously.”

European title for De Jong

The year was also impressive for Econometrics student Elise de Jong. The 19-year-old athlete from PAC Rotterdam won gold in the pole vault at the European Championships under 20, where she broke her personal record with a jump of 4.47 metres. In addition, she finished sixth at the European Team Championships, earning important points for the Dutch team.

Jury and public

The annual sports awards are presented by the platform Rotterdam Topsport. According to Daniëlle Schuitemaker of Rotterdam Topsport, the awards reflect the exceptional performances of both athletes. “The awards are intended to honour the sporting heroes of the city. Linn and Elise have both had a fantastic sporting year and delivered unique performances that they’ve worked hard for.”

The winners are determined by a combination of jury assessment and public votes. The jury includes former elite athletes and sports journalists from regional and national media. Schuitemaker: “The public votes for the athletes they believe deserve the title, and the jury ultimately makes the decision based on performances.”