Epke Zonderland
Epke Jan Zonderland is a Dutch artistic gymnast and was Olympic Champion on the high bar in 2012. He’s also won three World Championships titles on the high bar, at the 2013, 2014 and 2018 World Championships – the first man to achieve this feat on the apparatus. He’s nicknamed ‘The Flying Dutchman’.
He reached his first international success as a junior in 2004. At the European Junior Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia, he came fourth in the all-around event and won a Silver medal on the high bar. That same year he also became the Dutch national all-around Champion by taking the title from his older brother, Herre.
For his Silver medal in the high bar at the 2009 World Championships, Epke was named Dutch Sportsman of the year in 2009. He was selected as Sportsman of the Year for the second time in 2011 after he won the European Championships, then again for two consecutive years after he won the 2012 Olympics and the 2013 World Championships. He also was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau after winning a Gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Epke enrolled to study medicine at the University of Groningen in 2006. It took 12 years to complete his degree as he was pursuing his career in gymnastics at the same time, and he qualified as a doctor in 2018. He married Linda Steen in September 2016 and their son, Bert Eize, was born in October 2018.
