Wietse van Alten
Encyclopedia
Wietse Cornelis van Alten (born 24 September 1978) is an archer
from the Netherlands
. Van Alten was born in Zaandam
, in the municipality of Zaanstad
. He has competed in archery since the age of seven.
Van Alten's first major international competition was the 1999 World Target Competition. He placed 8th there, earning a spot on the Olympic team.
In the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, van Alten lost to Simon Fairweather
of Australia
in the semifinals, but rebounded with the highest score of the tournament for a 12-arrow match by scoring 114 in the bronze medal match to defeat Magnus Petersson
of Sweden
and win the bronze medal
. The Netherlands team, of which he was a member, placed 9th in the men's team competition
.
After suffering an elbow injury which required surgery in 2001, van Alten returned to success in competition in 2003 when he placed 6th in the World Target Competition held in New York, United States
.
Van Alten competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in men's individual archery
, trying to defend his bronze medal. His score in the 72-arrow ranking round was 661, giving him a starting rank of 14th. He won his first match 152-151 against Ricardo Merlos
of El Salvador
, advancing to the round of 32. In the second round of elimination, he was defeated by Ilario Di Buò
of Italy
164-160. His final rank was 27th overall.
Van Alten was also a member of the Netherlands' 5th-place men's archery team
at the 2004 Summer Olympics, along with Pieter Custers
and Ron van der Hoff
.
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
from the Netherlands
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...
. Van Alten was born in Zaandam
Zaandam
Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811...
, in the municipality of Zaanstad
Zaanstad
Zaanstad is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its main town is Zaandam. It is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam.-Population centres:...
. He has competed in archery since the age of seven.
Van Alten's first major international competition was the 1999 World Target Competition. He placed 8th there, earning a spot on the Olympic team.
In the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, van Alten lost to Simon Fairweather
Simon Fairweather
Simon John Fairweather, OAM is an archer born in Adelaide, South Australia. He is 175 centimetres tall and weighs 71 kilograms.Fairweather won the individual gold medal at the World Championships in Poland in 1991....
of 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...
in the semifinals, but rebounded with the highest score of the tournament for a 12-arrow match by scoring 114 in the bronze medal match to defeat Magnus Petersson
Magnus Petersson
Magnus Petersson is an archer from Sweden.He is an experienced Olympian, having won a silver medal in 1996. Petersson advanced to the semifinals in archery at the 2000 Summer Olympics, but was defeated there by Vic Wunderle. In the consolation bronze medal match, he again lost, this time to...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and win the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
. The Netherlands team, of which he was a member, placed 9th in the men's team competition
Archery at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's team
The Men's team at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the archery programme were held at the Panathinaiko Stadium.The men's team competition was the last archery event to be held, on 21 August...
.
After suffering an elbow injury which required surgery in 2001, van Alten returned to success in competition in 2003 when he placed 6th in the World Target Competition held in New York, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Van Alten competed at 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 men's individual archery
Archery at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's individual
The Men's individual archery event at the 2004 Summer Olympics was part of the archery programme. Its final was held on August 19 at the Panathinaiko Stadium.-Ranking round:...
, trying to defend his bronze medal. His score in the 72-arrow ranking round was 661, giving him a starting rank of 14th. He won his first match 152-151 against Ricardo Merlos
Ricardo Merlos
José Ricardo Merlos Orellana is a male athlete from El Salvador, who competes in archery. Merlos competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's individual archery. He was defeated in the first round of elimination, placing 35th overall...
of El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, advancing to the round of 32. In the second round of elimination, he was defeated by Ilario Di Buò
Ilario di Buo
Ilario Di Buò is an archer from Italy.Di Buò won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the team archery competition. He placed 20th in the individual competition.-2004 Summer Olympics:...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
164-160. His final rank was 27th overall.
Van Alten was also a member of the Netherlands' 5th-place men's archery team
Archery at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's team
The Men's team at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the archery programme were held at the Panathinaiko Stadium.The men's team competition was the last archery event to be held, on 21 August...
at the 2004 Summer Olympics, along with Pieter Custers
Pieter Custers
Pieter Johan Jozef Maria Custers is an athlete from the Netherlands, who competes in archery. He was a member of the Dutch junior archery team, that won the European championship in 2001....
and Ron van der Hoff
Ron van der Hoff
Ron Luitjen Lucia van der Hoff is an athlete from the Netherlands, who competes in archery.Van der Hoff competed in archery at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In men's individual archery, he won his first match, upsetting Butch Johnson of the USA. Advancing to the round of 32, he was defeated in the...
.