BSN Alumnus Qualifies for Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Swimming

July 25th 2024

The BSN is very excited that former student Sean Niewold, class of 2019, has qualified for the Olympic games in Paris and will represent the Netherlands! He will compete in the following swimming events:

Men’s 100 metre freestyle: 30 July (Heats)
Men’s 4 x 100 metre medley relay: 3 August (Heats)

Sean achieved his Olympic qualifying ticket at the Dutch National Championships in Amersfoort on 16 June, where he won multiple medals, including gold in the Men's 100 freestyle, setting a new Championship record!

Sean shared his feelings about qualifying and paid a moving tribute to his former BSN teacher:

It’s an incredible feeling to be able to represent my fatherland on the highest sporting stage possible.

That being said, it would not have been possible without the help of one BSN teacher; Dr. Shilo Dormehl’s contribution to my journey of reaching the Olympics has been invaluable. I can, without a doubt, say that I would not have qualified for the Olympics, if it weren't for him.

My gratitude to Dr. D, as we used to call him on the BSN swim team, is too large to put in words. 100% one of the smartest, most capable, and caring people I have ever worked with in my sporting career. Dr. Dormehl was not only an incredible trainer/coach, but also a mentor. I will forever be grateful for his contribution to my development as a person, and an as athlete. The BSN is lucky to have such a great teacher working with them.”

Dr. Dormehl, currently Deputy Head of PE at SSV, reflected on Sean’s abilities as an athlete and his achievements while still a BSN student and since then:

“Following my first encounter with Sean, I sensed significant potential in him as an athlete. My instinct was confirmed when he won the 200m Individual Medley at the 2018 Dutch Junior National Championships. This achievement was followed by his selection to represent The Netherlands in Riga, Latvia, that same year, while still a student at the school.

One of Sean’s most impressive traits has always been his ability to come back at his opponents in the second half of his races. An intelligent swimmer, he was never satisfied with simply following a programme; he always wanted to understand why he was encouraged to swim all strokes while some of his opponents were already specialising. I still believe this to be one of the most important aspects in helping him to develop into the swimmer he is today.

He went on to become one of the school’s most successful swimmers at the International Schools Sports Tournament Swimming Championships, breaking and setting new records along the way.

Sean captained the school team and even dedicated time to coaching some of his former teammates. A great role model to his peers, he has worked incredibly hard and richly deserves the honour of going higher, faster, and becoming stronger as an Olympian.

I wish him success as he takes on the world’s finest athletes on the planet’s greatest stage.”

Alongside his training, Sean is studying Mechanical Engineering at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). Read more about Sean’s journey to Olympic qualification on Delta, TU Delft’s independent journalistic platform.