Yvonne Hijgenaar (born 15 May 1980 in

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...

) is a Dutch racing cyclist and former national

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...

Background

Hijgenaar is a former

who for two years was in 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 ...

national team.Sportief Alkmaar, October 2007 In 2001, she switched from skating to

track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it wa ...

after finding she rode so much better than she skated that she could often ride by male riders in training. When her former skating teammates made technical advances better than she could, she stayed permanently in cycling. "When I look at the number of national championships, world championships and an Olympic Games that I've ridden, I am happy with my choice," she said.

Olympic Games

Hijgenaar represented the Netherlands at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens where she took part in the individual sprint as well as the 500 metres time trial. She did not impress in the individual sprint where she finished 11th. However, her 500 metres time trial time of 34.532 (52.125 km/h) brought her fifth place. In November 2007 she trained with the national team of

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 ...

in preparation for the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. "Track racing in the Netherlands is a small sport and we do not have a coaching team available for 12 months of the year as they do in Australia. If only we did." she said. At the

, she took part in the women's sprint, again finishing in 11th place. At the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, Hijgenaar and teammate

Willy Kanis Willy Kanis (born 27 July 1984) in Kampen) is a Dutch female professional racing cyclist. Career highlights ;2003 :2nd 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships :2nd Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships ;2004 :2nd 500 m, Dutch National ...

came 5th in the women's team sprint.

2009 World Championships

Hijgenaar won her fourth World Championship medal on 28 March 2009, taking the bronze medal in the

Omnium An omnium (from Latin '' Omni'': of all, belonging to all) is a multiple race event in track cycling. Historically the omnium has had a variety of formats. In recent years, road racing has also adopted the term to describe multi-day races that fe ...

, the first time the competition had been included for women in the World Championships. She was on equal points with

Tara Whitten Tara Alice Whitten (born 13 July 1980) is a Canadian former racing cyclist. Career A former cross-country skier from Edmonton, Alberta, Whitten began track racing seriously in 2008 having dabbled in it since 2005. The same year she won the poin ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

but missed out on that medal despite winning the 200 m flying start time trial and 500 m time trial events in the omnium. She has now set the

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 ...

Olympics of 2012 as a possible end to her career. If she fails to win a medal, she predicts she will stop.

Career highlights

;2001 :1st 500 m,

Dutch National Track Championships The Dutch National Track Championships are the set of Dutch national championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are organized by the KNWU. There are competitions of various track cycling Track cycling i ...

:2nd Sprint,

;2002 :3rd European Championship, Track, 500 m, U23 :1st 500 m,

:1st Sprint,

;2003 :3rd Sydney, 500 m (AUS) :1st 500 m,

:1st Keirin,

:1st Sprint,

;2004 :1st 500 m,

:1st Keirin,

:1st Sprint,

:3rd Moscow, 500 m (RUS) :3rd Moscow, Team Sprint (RUS) :1st Manchester, 500 m (GBR) :1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS) :2nd Athens Open Balkan Championship, Track, Sprint, Elite/U23 (GRE) :2nd Moscow, 500 m (RUS) ;2005 :3rd Los Angeles, 500 m (USA) :3rd Sydney, Sprint (AUS) :1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS) :3rd 500 m, Track World Championships :3rd Keirin, Track World Championships :2nd Manchester, 500 m (GBR) :1st Sprint,

:1st 500 m,

:1st Keirin,

;2006 :3rd Los Angeles, 500 m (USA) :1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS) :3rd Sydney, 500 m (AUS) :1st Moscow, Team Sprint (RUS) ;2007 :1st Los Angeles, Team Sprint (USA) :2nd Manchester, 500 m (GBR) :1st Manchester, Team Sprint (GBR) :2nd Team Sprint, Track World Championships :1st Sydney, Team Sprint (AUS) :1st Beijing, Team Sprint (CHN) :2nd Sprint,

2007 Dutch National Track Championships The 2007 Dutch National Track Championships were the Dutch national Championship for track cycling. The competitions took place at Sportpaleis Alkmaar in Alkmaar, the Netherlands from December 27 to December 30. Competitions were held of various t ...

:1st 500 m time trial,

:2nd Keirin,

;2008 (

Vrienden van het Platteland Vrienden van het Platteland (Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI Code: VVP) was a Dutch UCI Women's Teams, UCI women's road cycling team that existed in the 2000–2008 road cycling seasons. History 2006 One of the main new recruits for the ...

) :2nd Team Pursuit, 2007–2008 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

:1st Los Angeles, Team Sprint (USA) ;2009 ( DSB Bank-LTO) :3rd Omnium, Track World Championships :2nd Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

:2nd Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

:1st Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics,

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

:2nd Sprint,

2009 Dutch National Track Championships The 2009 Dutch National Track Championships were Dutch national Championship for track cycling. There were separate championships for endurance and sprint disciplines. The endurance disciplines (individual pursuit, scratch race, points race and ma ...

:2nd 500 m time trial,

:3rd Keirin,

;2010 :3rd 2010 Dutch National Omnium Championships :2nd Sprint,

2010 Dutch National Track Championships The 2010 Dutch National Track Championships were the Dutch national Championship for endurance and sprint disciplines for track cycling. The madison discipline took place at 16 October. The other competitions took place at Omnisport Apeldoorn in ...

, Apeldoorn :2nd 500 m time trial,

, Apeldoorn :2nd Keirin,

, Apeldoorn ;2011 :1st

Sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

2011 Dutch National Track Championships The 2011 Dutch National Track Championships were the Dutch national Championship for track cycling. They took place in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands from December 27 to December 30, 2011. Medal summary References External linksOfficial event w ...

, Apeldoorn :2nd 500 m time trial,

, Apeldoorn :3rd Keirin,

, Apeldoorn ;2012 :1st Sprint,

2012 Dutch National Track Championships The 2012 Dutch National Track Championships was the annual national championship for track cycling in the Netherlands. They took place in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands from December 27 to December 30, 2012. Medal summary Results from nkbaanwielre ...

, Apeldoorn :1st 500 m time trial,

, Apeldoorn :3rd Keirin,

, Apeldoorn

National record, team pursuit

After the introduction of the women’s 3000m team pursuit at the 2007–08 track cycling season, Hijgenaar was two times part of the team pursuit squad when they established a (new) Dutch national record. The first one was the first time the Dutch team rode the team pursuit, and was broken later that day. She is not the record holder anymore.

References

External links

Hijgenaar at the Dutch Olympic Archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hijgenaar, Yvonne 1980 births Living people Dutch female cyclists Olympic cyclists of the Netherlands Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Cyclists from North Holland Dutch cyclists at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships Sportspeople from Alkmaar

Background

Olympic Games

2009 World Championships

Career highlights

National record, team pursuit

See also

References

External links