Thijs van Hofweegen

Winning silver in the S6 400m freestyle at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Facebook page, 13 Sep 2020; ad.nl, 13 Sep 2016)

His coaches. (nieuwsbladdekaap.nl, 07 Oct 2018)

Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband. (issuu.com, 09 Jul 2013)

He always wears his hood up when entering the arena and lining up before the race. "I have to be really focused. That's why I always put on my hood before the race when we come up and look at the blocks. Then nobody can drive me crazy - that's what I want to do to them." (nieuwsbladdekaap.nl, 01 Sep 2019)

"At smaller competitions I don't feel the tension that I do at the big meets. I simply need that pressure to be able to perform. When I'm under pressure, that's when I'm at my best." (nieuwsbladdekaap.nl, 01 Sep 2019)

In 2018 he was named Sportsman of the Year in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug municipality in the Netherlands. (regio90.nl, 17 Dec 2019)

He received the 2016 Youth Sports Award in Amersfoort, Netherlands. (ad.nl, 25 Nov 2016)

He has cerebral palsy as the result of a brain injury he sustained at birth. (ad.nl, 13 Sep 2016)

CHARITY WORK
In 2019 he took part in a swim challenge that raised more than 5,000 Euros for the Agitos Foundation, a Dutch-based charity that supports the development of Para sport in South America. "I have a goal and I get the chance to reach that goal with the right people around me. If I did not have a sport, I would not have had much willpower and perseverance. Para sport has made me more independent and in many areas has brought me further than anyone could have imagined before. Children in poor countries do not get the opportunities that I have been given, and not always in the Netherlands too. I want everyone to get the opportunity to exercise if he or she wants to. I want to make my contribution tangible, by converting swimming into money." (zpc-amersfoort.nl, 27 Dec 2019; knzb.nl, 20 Nov 2019)