Closing of the Olympic Games: 18 medals for VU students and alumni

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Closing of the Olympic Games: 18 medals for VU students and alumni
After a festive closing ceremony, we look back on a particularly successful edition of the Olympic Games, where our students and alumni collectively secured an impressive 18 Olympic medals. It’s clear that our athletes belong among the world’s elite.

VU Amsterdam’s students and alumni won a total of 11 and 7 medals respectively, of which 15 are gold. An exceptional achievement!

In the final days of the Games, we watched various athletes from VU Amsterdam’s community competing:

  • Long jumper Pauline Hondema finished in 7th place with a distance of 6.55 metres.
  • Female hockey players Yibbi Jansen, Marleen Jochems, Sanne Koolen, Renée van Laarhoven and Xan de Waard won Olympic gold after defeating China in the final, with a 3-1 victory in the shoot-outs.
  • Male hockey players Floris Middendorp, Jip Janssen and Derck de Vilder also secured Olympic gold after beating Germany in a shoot-out series with a score of 3-1.
  • Relay runner Myrte van der Schoot reached the final in the 4x400-metre relay with her team. The Dutch women’s relay team then went on to win Olympic silver in the final.


  • After an exhilarating Paris edition of the Games, VU Amsterdam’s students and alumni will return home this week.

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