{"id":2738,"date":"2016-08-30T14:33:06","date_gmt":"2016-08-30T12:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/08\/30\/olympische-sporters-gehuldigd-op-campus-woudestein\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:10","slug":"olympische-sporters-gehuldigd-op-campus-woudestein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/08\/30\/olympische-sporters-gehuldigd-op-campus-woudestein\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic athletes honoured at Woudestein Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Maaike Head wordt ge\u00efnterviewd tijdens de huldiging.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Four proud Olympians were in the spotlight at Erasmus Plaza on Monday because of their performances at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Maaike Head won gold in the lightweight double sculls and Marloes Keetels reached the women\u2019s field hockey final with her team. Mitchel Steenman and Joost van de Burg did not win a medal.<\/p>\n

In the shining sun, hundreds of visitors to the annual HeartBeat Festival had a chance to cheer for their Olympic fellow students.<\/p>\n

Mixed feelings<\/h3>

\u201cI spend a lot of time here and it\u2019s therefore quite special to be honoured on this campus,\u201d Marloes Keetels, a Business Administration student, explained.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old hockey midfielder has mixed feelings about ending second with her team. The Netherlands lost to Great Britain in a nail-biting final. \u201cIt still hurts to think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOrdinary student\u201d<\/h3>

When asked if her team lost the gold or won the silver, she said: \u201cIt currently feels like we lost the gold, but it will eventually feel like we won the silver. We can of course be proud of our achievement. It\u2019s an Olympic medal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The athlete from North Brabant, who still refers to herself as an \u201cordinary student\u201d in spite of her performance in Rio, is already looking forward to the next Olympic Games. \u201cWe\u2019ll be going for gold in Tokyo with a revitalised team.\u201d<\/p>\n

24\/7 dedication and training<\/h3>

EUR graduate Head (Medicine) also enjoyed the event. The 32-year-old Skadi member had been dreaming about Olympic gold since she was ten. \u201cIt\u2019s great that I was able to make that dream a reality 22 years later. It\u2019s difficult to describe how strange it feels to win\u00a0an Olympic gold medal<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Head explained that preparing for the Games was tough. \u201cIt was a year of 24\/7 dedication and training. That regime, that total commitment to the sport, was difficult to get used to in the beginning. There was no partying and I rarely saw my friends.\u201d Nevertheless, the Olympian is positive about the past year. \u201cI enjoyed every training camp. It was nice to be out in my boat in the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growth<\/h3>

Head, from Amsterdam, started at Skadi as a student around ten years ago. In addition to rowing at a high level, she worked at the bar, participated in committees and enjoyed parties. She considers it the ideal combination. Skadi clearly gives a person the opportunity to grow as a sportsman or sportswoman: it was the second time that Head took part in the Games. She finished eighth in London in 2012. \u201cI\u2019m very happy for Skadi that we won a medal this year. It\u2019s clear that there\u2019s a great deal of enthusiasm for rowing. Everyone considers it very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as Head is concerned, she will not be the last Skadi member to win a medal. She intends to use her achievement to inspire the next generation of rowers. \u201cAlthough your competitors are of course a factor, I\u2019ve always thought you can go a long way if you really want something, focus entirely on your goal and do everything you can to achieve that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gold for Passing Shot<\/h3>

Winners at the most recent EU Games were also honoured on Monday.\u00a0The tennis players of Passing Shot won gold<\/a>\u00a0at the \u201cOlympic Games for students\u201d that took place in Croatia last summer. The Antibarbari football team also earned special recognition: although match results were disappointing, the team received the Fair Play Award.<\/p>\n

Earlier celebrations for Maaike Head by Skadi<\/h2>