KROMOWIDJOJO Ranomi

General
FATHER'S TOKYO DISAPPOINTMENT
She says her parents always watch her compete in major tournaments and had planned to come to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I think that's a real shame [that spectators from overseas could not travel to Tokyo], but I think it's even worse for my parents. My father, in particular, has been really looking forward to the 2020 Olympic Games and not just to swimming. My father is a karate teacher and karate is now on the Olympic programme for the first time. He was going to watch karate with my brother in Tokyo. I think it's worse that he can't go to karate than to swimming." (ad.nl, 10 Apr 2021)

RIO REDEMPTION
She was disappointed after ending the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro without a medal, but returned to form a year later taking four medals at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. "I knew for sure that I could swim faster than I did in Rio. Now I have shown it. I never doubted it. It sometimes goes with ups and downs, that can happen occasionally. It was also not bad what I showed in Rio. You should not let your head hang and be grumpy for the rest of your life if you do not win gold or medal." (nrc.nl, 30 Jul 2017)

TONSILS REMOVED
In September 2017 she had a tonsillectomy. "I had inflammations for many years, which was very annoying. But most important, every year, it would cost me about four weeks of training and always with unexpected timing. So I hope from now on I won't have those complaints anymore." She had to miss 12 days of training after the procedure. (swimswam.com, 19 Sep 2017)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as an ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund [UNICEF] and has founded the 'Ranomi Cup' a swimming event in The Hague, Netherlands to raise money for the charity. (Instagram profile, 25 Jan 2020; unicef.nl, 06 Apr 2019; Facebook page, 30 Nov 2016)

EARLY DAYS
At age 18 she moved from Groningen to Eindhoven after competing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where she won gold in the 400m freestyle relay. Four years later she won gold medals in both the 50m and 100m freestyle at the 2012 Games in London. She said that being in an athlete management, and a club, had helped her cope with the abrupt changes she endured during those period. "I was very shy as a child. That was the Groningen upbringing. Living in Eindhoven was quite different. People speak with more words, it was more exuberant. I learned to be more assertive and to say more than just yes, good or fine. Then I became aware [after winning two gold medals the 2012 Olympic Games] everyone has an opinion about me. If I didn't greet someone, I was suddenly arrogant. At first after London I had the idea that I should please everyone, but then you could never do it right. So it is nice to have a management that protects you and a home base that you can always rely on. Where you are not the swimmer or champion, but the daughter, sister or niece." (parool.nl, 20 Aug 2020)