GYMNASTS from Netherlands

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Dutch Gymnasts of all time. This list of famous Dutch Gymnasts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Estella Agsteribbe (1909 - 1943)

With an HPI of 49.51, Estella Agsteribbe is the most famous Dutch Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages on wikipedia.

Estella "Stella" Agsteribbe (6 April 1909 – 17 September 1943) was a Dutch gymnast. She won the gold medal as member of the Dutch gymnastics team at the 1928 Summer Olympics in her native Amsterdam. The team was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.Like other members of her team (Lea Nordheim, Ans Polak, Judikje Simons, Elka de Levie) and their coach Gerrit Kleerekoper, she was Jewish and deported during World War II. She was murdered together with her husband Samuel Blits, their six-year-old daughter Nanny and their two-year-old son Alfred in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

2. Helena Nordheim (1903 - 1943)

With an HPI of 43.51, Helena Nordheim is the 2nd most famous Dutch Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Helena "Lea" Nordheim (1 August 1903 – 2 July 1943) was a Dutch gymnast. She won the gold medal as a member of the Dutch gymnastics team at the 1928 Summer Olympics in her native Amsterdam. With her team, she was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.Nordheim was born in Amsterdam and was murdered in the Sobibor extermination camp. As a Jew, she was sent to Westerbork concentration camp in June 1943. Shortly after, Nordheim was deported to Sobibór where she was murdered, together with her husband Abraham and their ten-year-old daughter Rebecca.

3. Epke Zonderland (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 36.04, Epke Zonderland is the 3rd most famous Dutch Gymnast.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Epke Jan Zonderland (born 16 April 1986) is a Dutch artistic gymnast and the 2012 Olympic gold medallist on high bar. He is a 4-time Olympian (2008–20) and has also taken 3 World Championships golds on high bar at the 2013, 2014 and 2018 World Championships, the first man to secure this feat on that apparatus. He is nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman.”

4. Yuri van Gelder (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 32.55, Yuri van Gelder is the 4th most famous Dutch Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Yuri van Gelder (born 20 April 1983) is a Dutch gymnast, whose best discipline is the rings. His nickname is "Lord of the Rings".

5. Sanne Wevers (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 31.43, Sanne Wevers is the 5th most famous Dutch Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Sanne Wevers (born 17 September 1991) is a Dutch artistic gymnast. She is the 2016 Olympic champion on the balance beam and was the first Dutch female gymnast to become an Olympic champion in an individual event. She is the 2018 and 2023 European champion on the balance beam. She is also the 2015 World and 2021 European silver medalist on the balance beam and the 2015 European bronze medalist on the uneven bars. She was a member of the Dutch team that won the bronze medal at the 2018 and 2023 European Championships. Wevers, primarily an uneven bars and balance beam specialist, has competed internationally for the Netherlands since 2004. She won several medals on the FIG World Cup circuit in 2008 and 2009 before being sidelined with several injuries. Her first major breakthrough came at the 2015 European Championships where she qualified for two event finals and won the uneven bars bronze medal. She followed this up with a balance beam silver medal at the 2015 World Championships and then the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. She is known for building up her balance beam difficulty through dance elements and connections rather than acrobatic skills.