Ewout Holst (born 8 October 1978 in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) is a Dutch former freestyle and

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. Holst's early years were spent abroad, travelling with his family to the various postings his father was given as a government official. It was whilst at school in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

that his skills as a swimmer became recognised. He gained his first selection for the Dutch Team for the

1998 European Short Course Swimming Championships The second edition of the European Short Course Swimming Championships was held in Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England, from 11 to 13 December 1998. A total number of 355 swimmers from 34 nations competed in these champio ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. He was disqualified in the heats of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. After a troubled period he decided to quit swimming after coming seventh in the 50 metres butterfly at the

2004 European Aquatics Championships The 2004 LEN European Championships were held in Madrid, Spain from 5–16 May, at the M86 Swimming Center in the southeast of the city. The championships brought together the European Championships in swimming (long course), open water swimmi ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Personal best times

References

Profile on Zwemkroniek

Dutch Olympic Committee
1978 births Living people Dutch male freestyle swimmers Dutch male butterfly swimmers Olympic swimmers for the Netherlands Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers from The Hague 20th-century Dutch people 21st-century Dutch people {{Netherlands-swimming-bio-stub