Rick van der Ven

Lore & Background

Rick van der Ven was born on 14 April 1991 in Oss, Netherlands, and started archery at age 8. He trains at the Olympic Sportcentre in Papendal and studies Engineering Mechanics in Arnhem. His coach for the 2012 Olympics was Wietse van Alten, a bronze medalist from Sydney 2000.

At the 2012 London Olympics, van der Ven caused an upset by defeating top-seeded world-record holder Im Dong-hyun 7–1 in the round of 16. He then beat Kuo Cheng-Wei 6–0 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals against Takaharu Furukawa, the match ended 5–5; van der Ven scored 141 to Furukawa's 140 but lost the shoot-off 9–10. In the bronze medal match against Dai Xiaoxiang, he again drew 5–5 and scored two points more than his opponent, but lost the first shoot-off, finishing fourth.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, van der Ven competed in both individual and team events. He ranked 27th in the individual ranking round and lost 4–6 to Patrick Huston in the first knockout round. In the men's team event, the Netherlands ranked 9th, defeated Spain 5–1, then lost 0–6 to South Korea.

Reader's Guide

Rick van der Ven's significance lies in his consistent performance at the highest levels of European and world archery. He became European Champion in outdoor archery in May 2012, winning both individual and team gold, and repeated that double in indoor archery in February 2013. His Olympic debut in 2012 was marked by a stunning victory over the world-record holder Im Dong-hyun, demonstrating his ability to compete against the best. Although he narrowly missed medals in both the semifinal and bronze match, finishing fourth, his performance established him as a top contender. At the 2016 Olympics, he contributed to the Dutch team's advancement past Spain before falling to the dominant South Korean team. His legacy includes a gold medal in the mixed team recurve event at the 2022 European Archery Championships alongside Gabriela Schloesser. Van der Ven's career reflects a steady presence in international archery, with European titles and Olympic appearances underscoring his role in Dutch archery.

Did You Know?

• Rick van der Ven defeated top-seeded world-record holder Im Dong-hyun 7–1 at the 2012 Olympics.
• He won European Champion titles in both outdoor and indoor archery, individually and with the team.
• He finished fourth in the individual event at the 2012 London Olympics after two shoot-off losses.
• Van der Ven won gold in the mixed team recurve at the 2022 European Archery Championships with Gabriela Schloesser.