Lara van Ruijven

Lara Victoria van Ruijven (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlaːraː vɑn ˈrœyvən]; December 28 1992 – July 10 2020) was a Dutch short track speed skater. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she was part of the Dutch 3000 metres relay team that won a bronze medal. She won gold at the World Championships one year later. By doing so, she became the first Dutch woman to win a world short track title at an individual event.

In this Dutch name, the surname is van Ruijven, not Ruijven.

Lara van Ruijven
Van Ruijven at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Personal information
NationalityDutch
Born(1992-12-28)28 December 1992
Naaldwijk, Netherlands
Died10 July 2020(2020-07-10) (aged 27)
Perpignan, France
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
Country Netherlands
SportShort track speed skating
Event(s)500 m
ClubHVHW
World Cup wins10[1]
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking24 (500m)
Personal best(s)500 m: 42.453 (2019)
1000 m: 1:28.006 (2018)
1500 m: 2:23.588 (2018)
3000 m: 5:14.025 (2015)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 1
World Championships 1 1 0
European Championships 5 2 2
Olympic Games
2018 Pyeongchang3000 m relay
World Championships
2019 Sofia500 m
2018 Montreal3000 m relay
European Championships
2013 Malmö3000 m relay
2014 Dresden3000 m relay
2016 Sochi3000 m relay
2019 Dordrecht3000 m relay
2020 Debrecen3000 m relay
2015 Dordrecht3000 m relay
2020 Debrecen1000 m
2017 Turin3000 m relay
2019 Dordrecht500 m

Early life

Lara Victoria van Ruijven was born in Naaldwijk (near The Hague) on December 28 1992. She began racing short track when she was six, and her childhood idol was Evgenia Radanova. She studied law at the Open University of the Netherlands and resided in Heerenveen. In addition to her native Dutch, she also spoke English and French.[1][2]

Career

Van Ruijven first competed as a member of the Dutch Olympic team at the 2014 Winter Olympics. In the 500 metres she was third in her heat, failing to advance, and placing 17th overall. As a member of the Dutch 3000 metre relay team, she was disqualified in the heats, again not advancing.[3][4] Throughout that year, she had problems with her knee that compelled her to change her training routine. Three years later, in September 2017, she dislocated her shoulder.[1]

She breakthrough year came in 2018, when she earned her first Olympic medal at that year's Winter Games, as part of the Dutch team that finished third in the 3000 metre relay.[1][5] Several weeks later, she secured her first medal at the World Championships, when her team finished runner-up in the 3000 metre relay.[1]

At the 2019 World Championships, Van Ruijven won a gold medal in the 500 metres (1,600 ft) event and was in the lead for almost the entirety of the race.[5] However, the Dutch team were unable to improve on their result in the 3000 metre relay from the previous year and dropped to fourth place.[1] By securing gold, she became the first Dutch woman to win a world short track title at an individual event.[5] Van Ruijven finished fourth overall in terms of total points won at the championships.[1]

Illness and death

Van Ruijven was hospitalized on June 25 2020, after falling ill during a stay at a training camp near Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via.[6][7] Four days later, she was transferred to an intensive care unit due to an autoimmune disease.[5] She was subsequently placed in a coma and underwent multiple surgeries,[5] but her condition did not improve.[8] She died on July 10 2020 at a hospital in Perpignan, France; she was 27 years old.[9][10]

Achievements

World Cup victories

Source:[1]

Date Season Location Rank Event
10 February 20132012–13Dresden3000 m relay
5 February 20172016–17Dresden3000 m relay
19 November 20172017–18Seoul3000 m relay
4 November 20182018–19Calgary500m
9 December 20182018–19Almaty3000 m relay
10 February 20192018–19Turin3000 m relay
7 December 20192019–20Shanghai2000m relay
9 February 20202019–20Dresden3000 m relay
15 February 20202019–20Dordrecht500m
16 February 20202019–20Dordrecht3000 m relay

References
  1. "ISU Biography". International Skating Union. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  2. "Lara van Ruijven – Short Track – Netherlands". Sochi 2014 Olympics. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. "Sports Reference Profile". Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
  4. "Sochi2014.com profile". 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014.
  5. "Lara van Ruijven, short track speed skating world champion, dies at 27". NBC Sports. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  6. "Shorttrackster Van Ruijven op intensive care met stoornis aan immuunsysteem". nos.nl.
  7. "Toestand Van Ruijven verslechtert: 'Ze vecht voor haar leven'". Telegraaf. 1 July 2020.
  8. "Speed Skating: World champion Van Ruijven critical condition after falling ill in France". Reuters. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  9. "Dutch short-track world champion Van Ruijven dies at age 27". Associated Press. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  10. "Shorttrackster Lara van Ruijven (27) overleden". NOS. 10 July 2020.
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