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Heemskerk wants an extra chance of Olympic qualification: ‘This is impotence’ | NOW

Femke Heemskerk wants to fight her ‘elimination’ in the qualification for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in the 50-meter freestyle. Due to a mandatory quarantine after a positive corona test from her husband, the swimmer was unable to participate in the qualifying tournament in Rotterdam.

The 33-year-old Heemskerk already cleared the Olympic limit on the 50 meters and 100 meters and is an important candidate in the relays, but she has now lost the Olympic qualification in the 50 meters. Valerie van Roon swam a faster time in Rotterdam on Thursday than Heemskerk did in late 2019.

“I’m not going to let it go,” said Heemskerk, who wants to participate in the Games for the fourth time in Tokyo, against Friday. WE. “This is impotence. I can’t help not swim. I was ready, I can tell you that.”

Heemskerk swam at the Swim Cup in Amsterdam in December last year to a time of 24.71 and thus met the Olympic limit, but De Roon was slightly faster on Thursday with 24.63.




Femke Heemsker (second from left) after the golden race with the Dutch formation on the 4×100 meter free (Photo: ANP)

‘I am especially sad about that’

Heemskerk will not get a second chance in the form of a swim-off and accuses the association of not taking its circumstances into account. “Of course it should have been considered in advance: what happens if someone cannot participate because of corona? I am especially very sad about that.”

According to technical director of the swimming association, André Cats, it has indeed been discussed and the regulations state that there are no exceptional positions. “If we take the path that we include corona in our decisions, we are far from home. Because this is just going to happen to us more often, that athletes will be banned before a competition,” said Cats.

Heemskerk can still qualify for the Olympic 100 meters. On the 4×100 meters free, she became Olympic champion in Beijing in 2008 with the Dutch team. Four years later, there was silver in London.

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