Fleur Jong

Fleur Jong (Dutch: [fløːr jɔŋ]; born 17 December 1995)[2] is a Dutch Paralympic athlete. She won the gold medal in the women's long jump T64 event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan.[3] She also set a new world record of 6.16 metres.[4] As of September 2023, her current world record in this event is 6.74 metres.[5]

Fleur Jong
Jong with the Gouden Spike award (June 2021)
Personal information
Born (1995-12-17) 17 December 1995
Purmerend, Netherlands[1]
Sport
CountryNetherlands
SportPara-athletics
DisabilityAmputated limbs after bacterial blood infection
Disability class
  • T62 (2018 – present)
  • T43 (until 2018)
Event(s)
Coached byGuido Bonsen
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
Medal record
Women's para-athletics
Representing  Netherlands
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Long jump T64
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Paris Long jump T64
Gold medal – first place 2023 Paris 100 m T64
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Doha 200 m T44
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Bydgoszcz 100 m T64
Gold medal – first place 2021 Bydgoszcz Long jump T64

She is a gold medalist in the women's 100 metres T64 and women's long jump T64 events at the World Para Athletics Championships and the World Para Athletics European Championships. She won the gold medal in both her events at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships held in Paris, France and in both events at the 2021 World Para Athletics European Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Early life

A few days before her 17th birthday, in December 2012, Jong contracted a bacterial blood infection which hindered blood flow to her extremities.[6][7] As a result, her right leg had to be amputated below the knee as well as part of her left foot and the top halves of eight fingers.[6][8] Dutch para-snowboarder Bibian Mentel coached her during her rehabilitation.[9] The following year, Jong also had her left leg amputated below the knee, at her request, as she was unable to use it properly.[6][7]

In 2013, she attended a talent day for Paralympic sports organised by NOC*NSF where she met Guido Bonsen who later became her coach.[7]

Career

Early in her career, Jong competed as a T43-classified athlete. She won the bronze medal in the women's 200 metres T44 event at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships held in Doha, Qatar.[10][11] She also finished in 6th place in the women's 100 metres T44 event.[12] She represented the Netherlands in two events at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1] In both the women's 100 metres T44 and women's 200 metres T44 she did not advance to compete in the final. In 2017, she finished in 4th place in the women's 200 metres T44 event at the World Para Athletics Championships held in London, United Kingdom.[13]

At the beginning of 2018, World Para Athletics implemented classification changes and, as of that year, Jong competes as a T62-classified athlete, a class specifically for athletes with double below the knee amputation.[14] In 2019, she finished in 4th place in the women's long jump T64 event at the World Para Athletics Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[15] She also finished in 7th place in the women's 100 metres T64 event.[16]

In May 2021, Jong became the first female T62-classified athlete to jump more than six metres in the long jump event.[17] She set a new record of 6.02 metres at the 2021 World Para Athletics Grand Prix event held in Nottwil, Switzerland.[17] In June 2021, she won two gold medals by setting a new world record in both the women's 100 metres T64 and women's long jump T64 events at the World Para Athletics European Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland.[18][19][20] In the long jump event, she set a new world record twice: in her fifth attempt, she jumped 6.04 metres and she improved this to 6.06 metres in her next attempt.[2][20] A week later, she improved her world record again to 6.09 metres at the annual Gouden Spike competition held in Leiden, Netherlands.[21] She also won the 50th Gouden Spike award for her achievement.[21][22]

Jong represented the Netherlands at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.[8][23] She won the gold medal in the women's long jump T64 event with a new world record of 6.16 metres.[4][24] She finished in 4th place in the women's 100 metres T64 event. In the final, she set a new T62 Paralympic record of 13.10 seconds.[25] Jong was also one of the flag bearers for the Netherlands during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[26][27]

In February 2022, Jong competed at the Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships among able-bodied athletes but without competing for a medal.[28] In March, her portrait was added to a mural in the Schilderswijk neighbourhood of The Hague, Netherlands, alongside other Dutch competitors of the Summer or Winter Olympics and Paralympics held in 2021 and 2022.[29] In May, she set a new world record of 6.23 metres in the women's long jump T62/F62 event at the L’Hospitalet International Meeting held in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat near Barcelona, Spain.[30]

In June 2022, Jong competed among able-bodied athletes at the 2022 FBK Games held in Hengelo, Netherlands.[31][32] A few days later, she set a new T62 world record in the women's 100 metres T44/62/63/64 event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix held in Paris, France.[32][33] In July, Jong became the first woman with prosthetic legs to set a time of less than 12.50 seconds (T62 class) in the 100 metres event.[34] She set the record of 12.46 seconds at a competition held in Leverkusen, Germany.[34]

In May 2023, at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix event held in Nottwil, Switzerland, she set a new world record in the women's 100 metres T62 event with a time of 12.40 seconds.[35] In June 2023, at the Open Nederlands Kampioenschap Para Atletiek held in Vught, Netherlands, she set a new world record in the long jump with a jump of 6.48 metres.[36] A month later, she won the gold medal in the women's long jump T64 event at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships held in Paris, France.[37][38] She also won the gold medal in the women's 100 metres T64 event.[35][39][40]

Personal life

Jong studies communication sciences at the University of Amsterdam.[41][42]

In 2017, she founded Team Para Atletiek together with Paralympic athlete Marlene van Gansewinkel and coach Guido Bonsen which aims to help beginning and experienced para-athletes.[43]

Achievements

Track
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2015 World Championships Doha, Qatar 3rd 200 m 27.30 s
2021 European Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 1st 100 m 12.64 s
2023 World Championships Paris, France 1st 100 m 12.47 s

Field
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2021 European Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 1st Long jump 6.06 m
Summer Paralympics Tokyo, Japan 1st Long jump 6.16 m
2023 World Championships Paris, France 1st Long jump 6.28 m

References
  1. Admiraal, Natasja (31 May 2019). "Paralympisch Sporter Fleur Jong – 'Dankzij de atletiek zie ik in alles een uitdaging'". Zest Magazine (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  2. "Women's long jump T64 Final" (PDF). 2021 World Para Athletics European Championships. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  3. Houston, Michael (28 August 2021). "British sprinters grab gold on day two of athletics at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  4. "Live: Paralympic silver for Clifford on the track, Rollers up in wheelchair basketball". www.abc.net.au. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  5. "Fleur Jong verpulvert eigen wereldrecord met 26 centimeter, ook Femke Bol schittert in Brussel". AD (in Dutch). 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  6. "Para-atlete Fleur Jong blijft haar grenzen verleggen". Ditjes en Datjes (in Dutch). 7 November 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  7. "Interview – Fonds Gehandicaptensport". issuu.com. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  8. "Fleur Jong to focus solely on her jumps for Tokyo 2020". Paralympic.org. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  9. Sijtsma, Thomas (30 April 2021). "Para-atleten trainen in het Olympisch Stadion: 'Wil je mijn been even vasthouden?'". Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  10. "Paralympiër Van Rhijn prolongeert wereldtitel 200 meter". NOS (in Dutch). 24 October 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. "Women's 200 metres T44 – Final" (PDF). 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships – World Para Athletics. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  12. "Women's 100 metres T44 – Final" (PDF). 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships – World Para Athletics. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  13. "Women's 200 metres T44 – Final" (PDF). 2017 World Para Athletics Championships – World Para Athletics. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  14. "World Para Athletics announces classification changes". World Para Athletics. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  15. "Women's long jump T64 – Final" (PDF). 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  16. "Women's 100 metres T64 – Final" (PDF). 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  17. "Cockroft and Jong pulverise records in Nottwil". Paralympic.org. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  18. Rowbottom, Mike (4 June 2021). "Jong follows 100m world record with two new marks in long jump at European Para Athletics Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  19. "Fleur Jong sets new world record in another Dutch one-two at the Euros". Paralympic.org. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  20. "Para-atlete Jong noteert nog twee wereldrecords, dit keer bij het verspringen". NOS (in Dutch). 4 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  21. "Para-atlete Fleur Jong krijgt Gouden Spike voor wereldrecord verspringen". NU.nl (in Dutch). 12 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  22. "50ste Gouden Spike voor Fleur Jong". Gouden Spike (in Dutch). 12 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  23. "Drievoudig paralympisch kampioene Van Rhijn (29) beëindigt carrière per direct". NU.nl (in Dutch). 11 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  24. "Records Set" (PDF). 2020 Summer Paralympics. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  25. "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  26. Houston, Michael (23 August 2021). "Jong and Plat named Dutch flagbearers for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  27. "Jong en Plat vlaggendragers tijdens Paralympische Spelen in Tokio". NOS (in Dutch). 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  28. "Paralympisch atlete Jong krijgt haar zin: deelname NK met valide sporters". NOS (in Dutch). 28 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  29. "Bijzonder olympisch tijdperk vereeuwigd op muurschilderingen in Haagse Schilderswijk". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 15 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  30. "Fleur Jong flies high at L'Hospitalet 2022". Paralympic.org. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  31. "Fleur Jong zorgt voor zeldzaamheid bij FBK Games: 'Topsporthart wilde dit'". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 7 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  32. "Fleur Jong verbreekt wereldrecord na wereldrecord". Runner's World (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  33. Brennan, Eliott (11 June 2022). "Four world records shattered at World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Paris". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  34. "Fleur Jong settles historic mark in Leverkusen". Paralympic.org. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  35. "Para-atlete Fleur Jong pakt opnieuw met overmacht goud bij WK in Parijs". Het Parool (in Dutch). 13 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  36. "Wereldrecord voor Fleur Jong bij ONK Para Atletiek" [World record for Fleur Jong at ONK Para Atletiek]. Atletiek.nl (in Dutch). 6 June 2023.
  37. "Para-atlete Jong wint wereldtitel verspringen: 'Hier ging ik voor!'" [Para athlete Jong wins world title long jump: 'This is what I went for!']. NOS (in Dutch). 10 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  38. "Paris 23: Fleur Jong completes her gold collection". Paralympic.org. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  39. Rowbottom, Mike (13 July 2023). "Sabatini leads Italian clean sweep at World Para Athletics Championships as records smashed". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  40. "Jong is snelste op 100 meter en pakt tweede goud op WK para-atletiek". NOS (in Dutch). 13 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  41. van der Hee, Sterre (20 December 2021). "Voor Fleur Jong was 2021 een oogstjaar". Folia (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  42. Strikkers, Henk (25 June 2021). "UvA'er Fleur Jong is de te kloppen vrouw op de Paralympische atletiekbaan". Folia (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  43. "Meerjarenbeleidsplan 2021-2025 Team Para Atletiek" (PDF). Team Para Atletiek (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
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