Kitty van Haperen
Encyclopedia
Kitty van Haperen is a Dutch
athlete and bobsledder
.
Van Haperen was born at Tilburg
. She started her career in athletics and reached the national rankings in 1991 in javelin throw
. Since then she always was among the best ten of her country (at first in the youth and later with the seniors), even in 2005 when she made her final decision to become a bobsledder she still was second. In total Van Haperen became a six-time Dutch national champion in javelin throw, for the first time aged 20 in 1996 and the last time in 2004. On July 28, 1999 she threw 56.31 metres, a new Dutch national record, which she held until June 17, 2007 when Bregje Crolla reached 57.57 metres. After she reached the Dutch record her development in the sport stopped and never was able to progress further, not even after switching to a new coach German
Helge Zöllkau. As a result she decided it was time for something new and after some talks with Ilse Broeders
and Jeannette Pennings
she started off as a bobsledder in 2004, breaking internationally through in 2005 as Broeders' back-up runner in case anything would happen with Pennings.
Later in 2005 two Dutch female bobs qualified for the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin, however the team line-ups were still unsure. At the qualification play-off (named bob-off) held in Oberhof
, Germany
four competitors fought for two seats behind Broeders and the other driver Eline Jurg
. Christel Bertens
, Jurg's main runner was the main victim of the qualification process and ended up in fourth position. Jeannette Pennings
was teamed-up with her main driver Broeders, while Bertens was replaced by Van Haperen who finished second. Jurg's back-up runner Urta Rozenstruik
became the Olympic back-up runner. At the Olympics Broeders/Pennings started off first, but crashed, causing concentration trouble for Jurg/Van Haperen who saw it all happen. This resulted in disappointing results and an eleventh position overall after four runs. Despite these happenings Van Haperen did not return to the track and field competitions, but she focusses totally on bobsledding.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
athlete and bobsledder
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
.
Van Haperen was born at Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
. She started her career in athletics and reached the national rankings in 1991 in javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
. Since then she always was among the best ten of her country (at first in the youth and later with the seniors), even in 2005 when she made her final decision to become a bobsledder she still was second. In total Van Haperen became a six-time Dutch national champion in javelin throw, for the first time aged 20 in 1996 and the last time in 2004. On July 28, 1999 she threw 56.31 metres, a new Dutch national record, which she held until June 17, 2007 when Bregje Crolla reached 57.57 metres. After she reached the Dutch record her development in the sport stopped and never was able to progress further, not even after switching to a new coach German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Helge Zöllkau. As a result she decided it was time for something new and after some talks with Ilse Broeders
Ilse Broeders
Ilse Broeders is a Dutch bobsledder who competed from 1999 to 2006. Competing in two Winter Olympics, she earned her best finish of tenth in the two-woman event at Salt Lake City in 2002....
and Jeannette Pennings
Jeannette Pennings
Jeannette Pennings is a Dutch bobsledder and athlete. The high jumper Wilbert Pennings is her brother. She started with international bobsleigh competitions in 1999. She is the runner in a 2-bob mostly alongside Ilse Broeders. Broeders and Pennings appeared on their first Olympics at the 2002...
she started off as a bobsledder in 2004, breaking internationally through in 2005 as Broeders' back-up runner in case anything would happen with Pennings.
Later in 2005 two Dutch female bobs qualified for the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin, however the team line-ups were still unsure. At the qualification play-off (named bob-off) held in Oberhof
Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. It is visited by tenfold as many tourists every year...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
four competitors fought for two seats behind Broeders and the other driver Eline Jurg
Eline Jurg
Eline Jurg is a Dutch bobsledder who has competed since 1996. Competed in two Winter Olympics, she earned her best finish of sixth in the two-woman event at Salt Lake City in 2002....
. Christel Bertens
Christel Bertens
Christel Bertens is a Dutch bobsledder and athlete. Bertens is a runner in a 2-bob mostly alongside Eline Jurg.In 2005 two Dutch female bobs qualified for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, however the team line-ups were still unsure...
, Jurg's main runner was the main victim of the qualification process and ended up in fourth position. Jeannette Pennings
Jeannette Pennings
Jeannette Pennings is a Dutch bobsledder and athlete. The high jumper Wilbert Pennings is her brother. She started with international bobsleigh competitions in 1999. She is the runner in a 2-bob mostly alongside Ilse Broeders. Broeders and Pennings appeared on their first Olympics at the 2002...
was teamed-up with her main driver Broeders, while Bertens was replaced by Van Haperen who finished second. Jurg's back-up runner Urta Rozenstruik
Urta Rozenstruik
Urta Rozenstruik is a Dutch bobsledder born in Suriname. Rozenstruik started with international bobsleigh competitions in 2002. She is a runner in a 2-bob mostly alongside Eline Jurg....
became the Olympic back-up runner. At the Olympics Broeders/Pennings started off first, but crashed, causing concentration trouble for Jurg/Van Haperen who saw it all happen. This resulted in disappointing results and an eleventh position overall after four runs. Despite these happenings Van Haperen did not return to the track and field competitions, but she focusses totally on bobsledding.