The Netherlands finished the Tokyo Olympics with a total of 36 medals. The previous record for the most Olympics medals won in one season by Team Orange lay at 25 during the Sydney 2000 Olympics. In total, Dutch athletes brought home 10 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze medals.
The Netherlands placed seventh in the overall ranking. The last event of the Summer Olympics was the men’s water polo at 4:30 p.m. local time.
The closing ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. local time (1 p.m. in the Netherlands). Runner Sifan Hassan will carry the Dutch flag during the ceremony.
The choice fell on Hassan because she “stunned the whole world”, 1992 Olympics champion Ellen van Langen said, according to NU.nl. “Sifan follows her own path and her achievements do not go unnoticed. Especially because she performs so well in a sport where there is a lot of competition worldwide. She knows that she is simply the best. That inspires many in the world, including the rest of Team NL”, Van Langen said.
Hassan won her second gold on Saturday in the 10,000-meter race. She also came in first in the 5,000-meter race and grabbed the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter race. The athletic talent finished the races despite a leg injury that caused her considerable pain.
She was not the only one returning home with three medals. Track cyclist Harrie Lavreysen also won two gold and one bronze medal this Olympic season.
The delegation of the KNWU cycling association won the most medals in Tokyo. In total, the Netherlands placed in the top three 12 times in various cycling disciplines. Lavreysen took home two gold and cyclists Shanne Braspennincx, Niek Kimmann, as well as, BMX athlete Annemiek van Vleuten all won one gold medal.
The rowing teams took home five medals in total, one of which was gold. The Netherlands won three medals in the sailing and swimming divisions. Team Orange also scored in hockey, archery, judo, boxing and equestrian.
Technically, the Netherlands won the most Olympic medals in 1928, despite coming home with 19 medals. At the time there were only 327 spots in the Games. Sports such as BMX, skateboarding and judo were not yet included in the mix.
The number of spots has now increased up to 1,081. If the medals from 1928 are seen relative to the number of spots, then Team Orange scored 63 medals by today’s standards.