Dennis VEENKER

Netherlands

Bobsleigh

Date of Birth: 23 Aug 1992

Age: 29

Gender: Male

Residence: HEERENVEEN

Residence Country:

Netherlands

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Bobsleigh	4-man NED Netherlands	26

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Official Training Heat 1	Finished
After Heat 1	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Official Training Heat 2	Finished
	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Official Training Heat 3	Finished
After Heat 3	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Official Training Heat 4	Finished
	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Official Training Heat 5	Finished
After Heat 5	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Official Training Heat 6	Finished
	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Heat 1	Finished
	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Heat 2	Finished
	Yanqing National Sliding Centre	4-man Heat 3	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Athlete:

Historical Results

World Championships
Rank	Event	Year	Location	Result
16	2-man	2019	Whistler, BC, CAN	3:27.39
17	4-man	2021	Altenberg, GER	3:40.03
22	2-man	2020	Altenberg, GER	2:49.60
26	4-man	2016	Innsbruck, AUT	2:36.25
DNS	4-man	2019	Whistler, BC, CAN

World Cup - Best Achievements
Season	2-man	4-man
2021/22		1 x 11th, 1 x 12th, 1 x 17th
2020/21		1 x 11th, 1 x 15th, 1 x 16th
2019/20	1 x 7th, 1 x 14th, 3 x 16th	2 x 16th, 1 x 17th, 1 x 18th
2018/19	1 x 11th, 1 x 12th, 1 x 13th	1 x 8th, 2 x 11th, 1 x 12th

Ten Best World Cup Performances in Current Season
Rank	Event	Season	Location	Result
11	4-man	2021/22	Winterberg, GER	1:48.76
12	4-man	2021/22	Winterberg, GER	1:50.47
17	4-man	2021/22	St. Moritz, SUI	2:10.97
18	4-man	2021/22	Winterberg, GER	1:50.45
22	4-man	2021/22	Altenberg, GER	55.60

Occupation:

Athlete, Massage Therapist

Education:

Received a bachelor's degree in Sport Science from Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Groningen, NED) in 2019.

Family:

Father, Hugo. Mother, Jolanda. Sister, Anouk.

Languages spoken:

Dutch

Coach:

National: Tom de la Hunty (GBR)

Position style:

Crew

Sporting relatives:

Father Hugo Veenker (Athletics): National 400m champion in 1976, now an athletics and running coach.

Other sports:

Athletics: Competed in decathlon until age 19.

Debut:

2015 World Cup in Koenigssee (Four-man - 21st)

National team:

2014

Start:

His father, an athletics coach, gave a series of sprint-training sessions to the Netherlands bobsleigh team in 2013. Veenker attended and went through the training as well, impressing the Dutch pilot. (ibsf.org; FrieschDagblad, 4 Feb 2016)

Reason:

Likes the travel and camaraderie within the sport, the adrenaline, and representing the Netherlands. (bsbn.nl)

Ambition:

To finish in the top eight at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (omropfryslan.nl, 29 Jan 2022)

General Interest

BRIEF RETIREMENT
At the Dutch push trials in September 2021, Venkeer placed fifth of five athletes, making him the second alternate for the four-man team. Without a realistic chance to compete, he had accepted that his bobsleigh career was over. He was still training - albeit at a lower level - when brakeman Janko Franjic went down with a hamstring injury in November, and ended up competing in four World Cup events in 2021/22. (omropfryslan.nl, 30 Sep 2021; omropfryslan.nl, 29 Nov 2021)

ON HIS JOURNEY TO BEIJING
"I have never felt so many emotions in my entire life. It has made me 10 years older. The test was a big disappointment. Two months, later you get a message that they need you as a backup and that you are called up. A week later, you're allowed to start in the World Cup and then you're in the next six World Cups. We fought until the last metre of the last run in St. Moritz. It didn't work out. Then the consultations with NOC*NSF were held, and on Tuesday I was told in a video call that we can go to Beijing. Then you explode! I was shaking for an hour. It still has not hit me yet." (omropfryslan.nl, 29 Jan 2022)

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/dennis.veenker
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/veenkerdennis/
https://www.instagram.com/dennisveenker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-veenker-5894a478/

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