Rio 2016 Open Water Champion Ferry Weertman Calls Time On His Career

Photo by Zsolt Szigetvary/EPA/Shutterstock

Rio 2016 open water champion Ferry Weertman has called time on a career which brought Olympic, world and European titles.

The Netherlands swimmer announced his retirement months after finishing seventh in the 10k at Tokyo 2020, five years after his triumph at Copacabana Beach.

The 29-year-old claimed the first of his international titles at the 2014 European Championships in Berlin where he claimed individual and team gold, a feat he repeated four years later in Glasgow.

He won gold at the 2017 worlds in Budapest, two years after double silver in Kazan, sandwiching his Olympic title in 2016.

Weertman, who is engaged to be married to three-time Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo, took some time after Tokyo to consider whether he would continue until Paris 2024.

All things considered, Weertman decided that the time was right to draw the curtain on a fine career, telling the Dutch federation (KNZB) website:

“The circle is complete for me. I’ve won everything there is to win. I would not have been able to do this without the support of the KNZB, NOC*NSF, my sponsors, the trainers and other supervisors who challenged me to get the best out of myself.”

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Weertman was coached by Marcel Wouda from 2012 to 2021, of which the last two years have been remote.

Wouda said:

“Ferry was an athlete with a mission. He really wanted to win and was convinced that this was possible in the open water. He showed that every day in the water, full of conviction. As a coach, it is a joy to work with such an athlete.”

Thijs Hagelstein was Weertman’s coach from 2016 to 2021 and said:

“Ferry was a real lover of the sport, he enjoyed the many and hard training. In addition, he was very capable at times when it really mattered to bring something extra, both physically and mentally. Don’t undergo, but put things to your liking, always with the focus on winning. Features that have led to an impressive lineup of titles.”

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