The Netherlands competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Dutch athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne (except the equestrian events in Stockholm), which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The Netherlands National Olympic Committee (, NOC*NSF) sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since 1988. A total of 175 athletes, 95 men and 80 women, competed in 18 sports.
The Netherlands left London with a total of 20 Olympic medals (6 gold, 6 silver, and 8 bronze), finishing thirteenth in the overall medal standings. Four of these medals were awarded to the team in swimming and equestrian, and three each in cycling and sailing. Four Dutch athletes won more than a single Olympic medal in London. The Netherlands proved successful in team sports in London, as the women's and men's national field hockey teams won gold and silver medals, respectively. For the first time in its history, Netherlands won an Olympic medal in BMX cycling.
Among the nation's medalists were cyclist Marianne Vos, who took her second gold medal, this time in women's road race, windsurfer Dorian van Rijsselberghe, who became the second Dutch man to claim an Olympic title since 1984, and gymnast Epke Zonderland, who won the Netherlands' first ever gold medal in his sport after 84 years. Anky van Grunsven, who won bronze in London, emerged as the greatest equestrian rider in Olympic history, with a total of nine medals (three of them gold). Meanwhile, Ranomi Kromowidjojo became one of the most successful Dutch swimmers in history, with a total of four Olympic medals (including two golds in London), and three Olympic records.
Medalists
| width="78%" align="left" valign="top" | Medal Name Sport Event Date Cycling Women's road race Swimming Women's 100 m freestyle Swimming Women's 50 m freestyle Sailing Men's sailboard Gymnastics Men's horizontal bar Netherlands women's national field hockey teamField hockey Women's tournament Femke HeemskerkRanomi KromowidjojoMarleen VeldhuisHinkelien Schreuder (heats only) Swimming Women's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay Sailing Women's Laser Radial class Gerco SchröderMaikel van der VleutenJur Vrieling Equestrian Team jumping Equestrian Individual jumping Equestrian Individual dressage Netherlands men's national field hockey teamField hockey Men's tournament Judo Women's 70 kg Claudia BelderbosCarline BouwSytske de GrootAnnemiek de HaanNienke KingmaAnne Schellekens (cox)Roline Repelaer van DrielJacobine Veenhoven Rowing Women's eight Judo Men's 100 kg Swimming Women's 50 m freestyle Edward GalAnky van Grunsven Equestrian Team dressage Cycling Men's keirin Lisa Westerhof Sailing Women's 470 class Cycling Women's BMX | width="22%" align="left" valign="top" |
Medals by sportSport TotalSwimming2114Sailing1113Field hockey1102Cycling1023Gymnastics1001Equestrian0314Judo0022Rowing0011Total66820
Medals by dateDayDate TotalDay 128 July0101Day 229 July1001Day 330 July0000Day 431 July0000Day 51 August0011Day 62 August102 3Day 73 August0000Day 84 August1012Day 95 August0000Day 106 August0202Day 117 August2024Day 128 August0101Day 139 August0101Day 1410 August1023Day 1511 August0101Day 1612 August0000Total66820
Competitors NOC*NSF selected a team of 175 athletes (exclusive reserves), 95 men and 80 women, to compete in 18 sports; it was the nation's eighth-largest team sent to the Olympics, but the smallest since 1988. Field hockey was the only team-based sport in which the Netherlands had its representation in these Olympic games. There was only a single competitor in archery, badminton, fencing, shooting, and taekwondo.
The Dutch team featured three defending Olympic champions (dressage rider Anky van Grunsven, the women's freestyle swimming team, and the women's national field hockey team). Van Grunsven, eight-time medalist and the oldest member of the team, at age 44, became the first Dutch female athlete to compete in seven Olympic games. Beach volleyballer Richard Schuil was at his fifth appearance, having participated in the Olympics since the sport's introduction in 1996. Meanwhile, gymnast Céline van Gerner, at age 17, was the youngest athlete of the team. Windsurfer Dorian van Rijsselberghe, who claimed seven World cup titles and a single world championship title for his event, became the Netherlands' flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
Among the Dutch athletes in the team, several of them were born outside the Netherlands. Sprinter Churandy Martina played for two of his previous Olympics under the Netherlands Antilles, which was dissolved in 2010. Two other athletes competed for their respective nations before representing the Netherlands: table tennis player Elena Timina, who made her first two Olympic appearances under the Unified Team and Russia, and field hockey player Marilyn Agliotti, who played for the South African team in Sydney.
Other notable Dutch athletes featured gymnast Epke Zonderland, who called himself "The Flying Dutchman" for his astonishing display in the men's horizontal bar exercises, swimmer and world short course champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo, judokas Edith Bosch and Elisabeth Willeboordse, who both previously won the bronze medal in Beijing, and cyclist Marianne Vos, a former Olympic champion who later competed in the women's road race.
The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games: SportMenWomenTotalArchery 1 0 1Athletics 10 8 18Badminton 0 1 1Cycling 15 10 25Equestrian 8 3 11Fencing 1 0 1Field hockey 17 16 33Gymnastics 1 2 3Judo 5 4 9Rowing 19 13 32Sailing 5 6 11Shooting 1 0 1Swimming 7 8 15Table tennis 0 3 3Taekwondo 1 0 1Tennis 2 0 2Triathlon 0 2 2Volleyball 2 4 6 Total 95 80 175
Archery
Netherlands has qualified the following archers.
AthleteEventRanking roundRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals / ScoreSeedOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankRick van der VenMen's individual67116 (49)W 6–2 (17)W 7–1 (1)W 7–1 (40)W 6–0 (5)L 5–6 (7)L 5–64
Athletics
Dutch athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard):
Men Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankRobert Lathouwers800 m1:46.062 Qcolspan=2 1:45.855Did not advanceChurandy Martina100 mcolspan=2 10.203 Q9.912 Q9.946200 m20.581 Qcolspan=2 20.171 Q20.005Gregory Sedoc110 m hurdles13.523 Qcolspan=2 Did not advanceGiovanni CodringtonBrian MarianoChurandy MartinaPatrick van Luijk4 × 100 m relay*38.293 Qcolspan=4 38.396 * Wouter Brus and Jerrel Feller were reserves for the 4 × 100 m relay, but did not compete.
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionErik CadéeDiscus throw63.5512 q62.7810Rutger SmithDiscus throw63.0916Did not advanceShot put20.0814Did not advance
Combined events – Decathlon AthleteEvent 100 m 400 m 1500 mFinalRankEelco SintnicolaasResult10.857.3714.181.9348.8514.4332.265.3058.824:31.17803411Points8949037397408689205091004720737Ingmar VosResult10.987.2713.771.9649.6214.6142.264.5061.604:50.01780521Points865878714767832897711760762619
Women Track & road events AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankHilda KibetMarathoncolspan=4 2:28:5224Lornah Kiplagatcolspan=4 Dafne Schippers200 mDid not advanceEva LubbersJamile SamuelDafne SchippersKadene Vassell4 × 100 m relay42.453 Qcolspan=2 42.706 * Esther Akihary and Marit Dopheide were reserves for the 4 × 100 m relay, but did not compete.
Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionMonique JansenDiscus throw57.5031Did not advance
Combined events – Heptathlon AthleteEvent 200 m 800 mFinalRankNadine BroersenResult13.641.8613.5725.135.9451.982:16.98631912Points10301054765875831899865Dafne SchippersResult13.481.8013.6722.836.2836.632:15.52632411Points10539787721096937603885
Badminton
AthleteEventGroup StageEliminationQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankJie YaoWomen's singlesW 21–12, 25–23W 21–16, 21–71 QL 14–21, 16–21Did not advance
Cycling
Netherlands has so far qualified cyclists for the following events.
Road Men AthleteEventTimeRankLars BoomRoad race5:46:0511Time trial55:2922Robert GesinkRoad race5:46:0523Sebastian Langeveld5:46:3774Niki Terpstra5:46:3782Lieuwe WestraRoad race5:46:4797Time trial54:1911
Women AthleteEventTimeRankLoes GunnewijkRoad raceEllen van DijkRoad raceTime trial38:538Annemiek van VleutenRoad race3:35:5614Marianne VosRoad race3:35:29Time trial40:4016
Track Sprint AthleteEventQualificationRound 1Repechage 1Round 2Repechage 2QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalTimeSpeed (km/h)RankOppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)OppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)RankWilly KanisWomen's sprint11.32263.59311LW 11.64361.839LLDid not advance9th place finalW 11.8529
Team sprint AthleteEventQualificationSemifinalsFinalTimeSpeed (km/h)RankOppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)RankOppositionTimeSpeed (km/h)RankYvonne HijgenaarWilly KanisWomen's team sprint33.253 54.1305 QL 33.09054.3975Did not advance
Pursuit
AthleteEventQualificationSemifinalsFinalTimeRankOpponentResultsRankOpponentResultsRankLevi HeimansJenning HuizengaWim StroetingaTim VeldtMichael VingerlingMen's team pursuit4:03.818 NR8 Q4:04.02974:04.5697Vera KoedooderAmy PietersEllen van DijkKirsten WildWomen's team pursuit3:21.602 OR6 Q3:20.013 NR63:23.2566
Keirin AthleteEvent1st RoundRepechage2nd RoundFinalRankRankRankRankTeun MulderMen's keirin2 Q3 QWilly KanisWomen's keirin6 R2 Q412
Omnium AthleteEventFlying lapPoints raceElimination raceIndividual pursuitScratch raceTime trialTotal pointsRankTimeRankPointsRankRankTimeRankRankTimeRankKirsten WildWomen's omnium14.335421653:39.7416437.15215506
Mountain biking AthleteEventTimeRankRudi van HoutsMen's cross-country1:32:5317Michael Vingerling
BMX AthleteEventSeedingQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankPointsRankPointsRankResultRankRaymon van der BiezenMen's BMX37.779131 Q82 Q38.4924Twan van Gendt38.339371 Q82 Q44.7445Jelle van Gorkom39.52921317Did not advanceLaura SmuldersWomen's BMX39.4206colspan=2 113 Q38.231
Equestrian
Dressage AthleteHorseEventGrand PrixGrand Prix SpecialGrand Prix FreestyleOverallScoreRankScoreRankTechnicalArtisticScoreRankAdelinde CornelissenParzivalIndividual81.6872 Q81.9682 Q84.10792.28688.196Edward GalGlock's Undercover75.39511 Q75.55610 Q76.96483.57180.2679Patrick van der MeerUzzo70.91225 Q67.44432Did not advanceAnky van GrunsvenSalinero73.34316 Q74.79412 Q77.71486.28682.0006Adelinde CornelissenEdward GalAnky van GrunsvenSee aboveTeam76.809377.4393colspan=2 77.124
Eventing AthleteHorseEventDressageCross-countryJumpingTotalQualifierFinalPenaltiesRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesRankAndrew HeffernanMillthyme CorollaIndividual50.603412.4063.003212.0075.0033Did not advance75.0033Tim LipsConcrex Oncarlos51.703922.0073.703913.0086.7038Did not advance86.7038Elaine PenVira52.2043EliminatedDid not advanceAndrew HeffernanTim LipsElaine PenSee aboveTeam154.5012982.201136.701125.001161.7011colspan=3 1161.7011
Jumping