Pieter Cornelis Martijn van den Hoogenband (born March 14, 1978 in Geldrop, near Eindhoven) is a Dutch swimmer and a triple Olympic champion. He is the current world record holder in 100 m freestyle swimming (47.84s). Swimming has been a sport at every modern Olympic Games. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The 1998 World Aquatics Championships or the 8th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia between January 8 and January 17, 1998. ... The 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001. ... The 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001. ... The 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001. ... The 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001. ... Barcelona, Spain was the host city of the X FINA World Aquatics Championships or the 10th FINA World Championships in Aquatics, which were held from July 12 till July 27, 2003. ... Barcelona, Spain was the host city of the X FINA World Aquatics Championships or the 10th FINA World Championships in Aquatics, which were held from July 12 till July 27, 2003. ... Barcelona, Spain was the host city of the X FINA World Aquatics Championships or the 10th FINA World Championships in Aquatics, which were held from July 12 till July 27, 2003. ... The 2007 World Aquatics Championships or the XII FINA World Championships is currently being held in Melbourne, Australia from March 17 to April 1, 2007. ... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Geldrop-Mierlo is a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. ... Country Netherlands Province North Brabant Government  - Mayor Alexander Sakkers (VVD) Area (2006)  - Municipality 88. ... This article concentrates on human swimming. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Freestyle is one of the official swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. However, it is technically not a style, as there are very few regulations about the way freestyle has to be swum. ...

The son of Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband and Astrid Verver, a former Dutch 800m freestyle silver medalist at the European Championships, Pieter grew up in Geldrop, where he swam for PSV Eindhoven. His father is a team doctor with the professional football team of the same club. In 1993, Pieter achieved his first successes, performing well on the European Youth Olympic Days. Geldrop-Mierlo is a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. ... Philips Sport Vereniging (English: Philips Sports Union), widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Prior to the Atlanta Games, Astrid van den Hoogenband, who was coaching the Dutch team, became frustrated with the swimmers representing the Netherlands, feeling they had much potential but would not be able to live up to it due to lack of adequate support. She pleaded with Cees to take action, as he carried much weight from his professional connections. After Astrid threatened to remove Pieter from the sport, Cees created a small foundation and signed up 20 initial sponsors who each paid $2,500 to fund a team trainer. The Dutch swimming team eventually signed extremely lucrative contracts with Philips, Nike, and Speedo. Enough funds were raised to open a swim school in Eindhoven, van den Hoogenband's place of residence. The team eventually grew to ten. Pieter remained the Netherlands' brightest star, and along with fellow Dutch Inge de Bruijn brought the Netherlands many victories in the sport. Philips HQ in Amsterdam Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Philips Electronics N.V.), usually known as Philips, (Euronext: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands. ... Nike, Inc. ... The Speedo boomerang logo Speedo is a swimsuit manufacturer that began on Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia. ... Inge de Bruijn (born August 24, 1973 in Barendrecht, Zuid-Holland) is a former Dutch swimmer, and a four-time Olympic champion. ...

His international breakthrough came at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Only 18 years old, van den Hoogenband surprised many by finishing 4th in both the 100 and 200 m freestyle. The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, United States. ... Freestyle is one of the official swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. However, it is technically not a style, as there are very few regulations about the way freestyle has to be swum. ...

After winning 6 gold medals at the 1999 European Championships, he was one of the favourites at the 2000 Summer Olympics, but his adversaries were formidable. In the 200 m freestyle, he faced Australian youngster Ian Thorpe, favourite of the home crowd in Sydney. In the semi-finals, van den Hoogenband set a new world record, but Thorpe countered with a time only 0.02s slower. In an exciting final, van den Hoogenband equalled his time from the semi-finals to win the gold medal. In the 100 m freestyle, van den Hoogenband again set a world record in the semi-finals and won his second gold medal, defeating the 1992 and 1996 champion, Alexander Popov. He won two more medals, both bronze, in the 50 m freestyle and the 4 x 200 m freestyle relay, in which he was the final swimmer. Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Ian James Thorpe OAM (born 13 October 1982 in Sydney, New South Wales), also known as the Thorpedo or Thorpey, is a former Australian freestyle swimmer. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 in the City of Sydney. ... A world record is the best performance in a certain discipline, usually a sports event. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Alexander Vladimirovich Popov, also spelt as Aleksandr Popov and in Russian: Александр Попов (born November 16, 1971) is a Russian former professional swimmer, one of the worlds best swimmers of The 1990s. ...

He was named the 2000 Male World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine . 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Swimming World Magazine Swimmers of the Year, awarded by the American-based Swimming World magazine, are a set of awards which are often regarded as being the most prestigious in the swimming world. ... Swimming World magazine is an American-based monthly swimming magazine, that was first published in January 1960. ...

At the 2001 Aquatics World Championships, van den Hoogenband won four silver medals in the 50, 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m freestyle events. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he won a gold medal in the 100m freestyle and two silvers in the 200m freestyle and the 4 x 100m freestyle relay. The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. ... The two South Africans, Roland Schoeman and Ryk Neethling, took the early lead. ... Miguel vm, Serbia and Montenegro 2. ... Records Medals Heats Heat 1 South Africa: Roland Mark Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend, Ryk Neethling, 3:13. ...

He and his wife, former medley swimmer Minouche Smit, had their first child, a daughter named Daphne, on June 23 2007. Minouche Smit (born March 6, 1975 in Hoorn, Noord-Holland) is a former freestyle and medley swimmer from the Netherlands, who competed for her native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. ...

See also

• List of swimmers

Swimming is the most highly participated-in sport in the world. ...

References

• Swim Rankings profile
• Zwemkroniek (in Dutch)