Enith BRIGITHA

Born on the West Indian island of Curaçao, Enith Brigitha learned to swim in the Caribbean Sea. A rare swimmer on the Netherlands Antilles, her career took a positive turn when her divorced mother moved to the Netherlands when she was a teenager. Brigitha quickly became the best Dutch swimmer of the 1970s. Between 1973 and 1979, she collected 21 Dutch titles, in freestyle, backstroke, medley and butterfly. Brigitha won the Dutch 100 m freestyle title seven times in a row. Internationally, she collected many medals as well, although never a golden one: Brigitha won seven medals in European Championships, four in World Championships and two in the 1976 Olympics. She was usually beaten by swimmers from East Germany, many of whom later admitted to doping use, and Brigitha currently considers herself an Olympic champion. Brigitha moved back to Curaçao in 1990, and currently owns her own swimming school for children.