Johanna (Hansje) BUNSCHOTEN

A talented teen swimmer, Hansje Bunschoten won her first Dutch title in 1971 (400 m freestyle), at the age of only 13 years old. At the Munich Games a year later, she swam five Olympic finals, gaining two fifth places with the Dutch relay squads. Bunschoten missed the inaugural 1973 World Championships due to illness. When her mother became ill later that year, Bunschoten gradually withdrew from competitive swimming, fully retiring by 1976. Between 1971 and 1973, she set numerous national records, six of which were also European records. Notably, she became the first Dutch woman to beat 1 minute in the 100 m freestyle, at a short-course race in her native Hilversium in 1971. In all, Bunschoten earned nine Dutch titles, including three in long course events (1971-72).

In the 1980s, Bunschoten worked for the sports radio program Goal, later switching to television. She was active in several roles, as a presenter (e.g. Dolce Vita, Sport op Vrijdag), director (Studio Sport, De Rijdende Rechter) and swimming commentator (e.g. at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics). From 2005, Bunschoten suffered from breast cancer, an illness that forced her to retire in 2015.