Maarten Heisen
Encyclopedia
Maarten Heisen is a Dutch
sprinter
.
When he was sixteen he started to become more serious in developing his career and he started training more frequently. As a second year B-junior in 2001 he won his first medals at the national championships: silver at the 60m indoor and bronze at the 100m outdoor. His next goal was to achieve a time under 11 seconds over 100 metres. He succeeded straight away with 10.99, but in his second attempt he already run 10.82 seconds. Nonetheless he was unable to achieve the limit for the World Junior Championships in Jamaica
that was set at 10.74 seconds. Only five days after the deadline he improved his personal best to 10.70, but it was too late to start in Jamaica.
In his last year as a junior Heisen did manage to qualify for the 2003 European Junior Championships in Tampere
. He participated in the 100m (where he reached the semi final) and the 4 x 100 m relay (the team reached the final, but due to an exchanging error between Heisen and Michael Mathew they did not finish).
The following year Heisen participated on senior level, but had a hard time adjusting to the higher level. He reached the finals at the national championships, however he was unable to come close to the podium. He was added to the Dutch Olympic Team selection and learned a lot from the more experienced athletes, specially those that qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics
. In 2005 he suffered with an injury during the start of the year, but he managed to win his first senior medals. He won a silver medal at the 60m indoor and a bronze at the 100m outdoor. He missed out on qualification for the under-23 European Championships and decided to run some international races in Helsinki
and Stockholm
. His personal best time over 100 metres was improved to 10.52 at the end of 2005.
In 2006 he won the bronze medal during the 60 metres at the Dutch Indoor Championships in Ghent
, but apart from that no notable results were achieved. Also in 2007 he did not perform at his best, although he did manage to beat his personal best at the 100 metres to 10.49. Unexpectedly because of his results in the past two years his start in 2008 was very successful. Heisen qualified himself for the World Indoor Championships in Valencia due to a 6.66 at the 60 metres indoor during an international race in Luxembourg
. In Valencia he achieved 6.77 to reach the semi final in which his 6.71 was not enough to qualify for the final and ended up in 16th position overall.
Heisen made his way into the Dutch 4 x 100 metres relay team together with team mates Caimin Douglas
, Patrick van Luijk
, Guus Hoogmoed
, Gregory Sedoc
and Virgil Spier
. Their aim was to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics
and initially they finished in 17th position during the qualification process while only the first 16 teams would qualify. Due to the cancellation of the Australia
n team they were allowed to start in Beijing
. In their qualification heat Heisen, Hoogmoed, Van Luijk and Douglas placed third in behind Trinidad and Tobago
and Japan
, but in front of Brazil
. Their time of 38.87 was the fifth fastest out of all sixteen participating nations in the first round and they qualified for the final. In the final, the second baton change between Hoogmoed and Van Luijk failed, resulting in a slow time. They still finished the race to place seventh, before the disqualified Chinese
team.
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...
sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
.
Biography
Heisen started becoming active in athletics at the age of 9. In these early years his career was basically based on making fun. It became clear that he was talented in sprinting as well as at the long jump even though his opponents at that age were quite a bit larger than him.When he was sixteen he started to become more serious in developing his career and he started training more frequently. As a second year B-junior in 2001 he won his first medals at the national championships: silver at the 60m indoor and bronze at the 100m outdoor. His next goal was to achieve a time under 11 seconds over 100 metres. He succeeded straight away with 10.99, but in his second attempt he already run 10.82 seconds. Nonetheless he was unable to achieve the limit for the World Junior Championships in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
that was set at 10.74 seconds. Only five days after the deadline he improved his personal best to 10.70, but it was too late to start in Jamaica.
In his last year as a junior Heisen did manage to qualify for the 2003 European Junior Championships in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
. He participated in the 100m (where he reached the semi final) and the 4 x 100 m relay (the team reached the final, but due to an exchanging error between Heisen and Michael Mathew they did not finish).
The following year Heisen participated on senior level, but had a hard time adjusting to the higher level. He reached the finals at the national championships, however he was unable to come close to the podium. He was added to the Dutch Olympic Team selection and learned a lot from the more experienced athletes, specially those that qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. In 2005 he suffered with an injury during the start of the year, but he managed to win his first senior medals. He won a silver medal at the 60m indoor and a bronze at the 100m outdoor. He missed out on qualification for the under-23 European Championships and decided to run some international races in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. His personal best time over 100 metres was improved to 10.52 at the end of 2005.
In 2006 he won the bronze medal during the 60 metres at the Dutch Indoor Championships in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, but apart from that no notable results were achieved. Also in 2007 he did not perform at his best, although he did manage to beat his personal best at the 100 metres to 10.49. Unexpectedly because of his results in the past two years his start in 2008 was very successful. Heisen qualified himself for the World Indoor Championships in Valencia due to a 6.66 at the 60 metres indoor during an international race in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
. In Valencia he achieved 6.77 to reach the semi final in which his 6.71 was not enough to qualify for the final and ended up in 16th position overall.
Heisen made his way into the Dutch 4 x 100 metres relay team together with team mates Caimin Douglas
Caimin Douglas
Caimin Christian Douglas is a Dutch sprinter.-Biography:Douglas was born in Rosmalen, out of a Dutch mother and an Antillean father. At the age of five the family returned to his father's roots in Curaçao. There he played football from the age of 11 for his local team in Willemstad and the...
, Patrick van Luijk
Patrick van Luijk
Patrick Jermaine Herschel van Luijk is a Dutch sprinter.-Biography:Patrick van Luijk was born in 1984 out of a Dutch mother and a Jamaican father. Sports have always been the most important hobby of Van Luijk and he started with football at an early age for local team FC Bakestijn...
, Guus Hoogmoed
Guus Hoogmoed
Guus Hoogmoed is a Dutch sprinter, specializing in the 200 metres.He finished fourth in 60 metres at the 2005 European Indoor Championships and eighth in 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2006 European Championships....
, Gregory Sedoc
Gregory Sedoc
Gregory Sedoc is a Dutch hurdler.He reached his first international final at the 2007 European Indoor Championships in 60 metres hurdles, and won the event, equalling his personal best time of 7.63 seconds which was established in the previous rounds and beating fellow-countryman Marcel van der...
and Virgil Spier
Virgil Spier
Virgil Spier is a Dutch athlete who started at the decathlon, but who is currently active mainly as a sprinter and a hurdler.-Biography:...
. Their aim was to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
and initially they finished in 17th position during the qualification process while only the first 16 teams would qualify. Due to the cancellation of the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n team they were allowed to start in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. In their qualification heat Heisen, Hoogmoed, Van Luijk and Douglas placed third in behind Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but in front of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Their time of 38.87 was the fifth fastest out of all sixteen participating nations in the first round and they qualified for the final. In the final, the second baton change between Hoogmoed and Van Luijk failed, resulting in a slow time. They still finished the race to place seventh, before the disqualified Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
team.
Personal bests
- Outdoor
- 100 metres100 metresThe 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
- 10.48 (2008, BremenBremenThe City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
) - 200 metres200 metresA 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
- 21.36 (2004, UtrechtUtrecht (city)Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
)
- 100 metres
- Indoor
- 60 metres60 metres60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes...
- 6.66 (2008, LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
)
- 60 metres