Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher (24 February 1925 – 8 January 2014) was a freestyle

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 ...

from the

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 ...

who won two medals at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

. After having claimed the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(1948), she won the silver medal four years later in

Helsinki, Finland Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city' ...

, in the same event. Individually, she was sixth in the 100 m freestyle at both games.Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher
. www.sports-reference.com She also won two gold and two silver medals at the 1947 and 1950

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

. In 1950, while touring Australia with Geertje Wielema, Schuhmacher met Johan Heijting, a Dutch

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

specialist who had recently immigrated to Australia. They married on 22 March 1952,Huwelijk Irma Schuhmacher
Dutch Nationaal Archief and one week after the 1952 Olympics, Heijting-Schuhmacher moved to her husband's breeding farm near

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

.Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher's obituary

References

1925 births 2014 deaths Dutch female freestyle swimmers Swimmers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers for the Netherlands Olympic silver medalists for the Netherlands Olympic bronze medalists for the Netherlands Sportspeople from Breda Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming 20th-century Dutch women 21st-century Dutch women {{Netherlands-swimming-bio-stub