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Maarten van der Weijden

Maarten van der Weijden, Dutch swimmer

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Born
March 31, 1981
Age in 2026
45
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1981

About Maarten van der Weijden

Maarten van der Weijden is a Dutch former long distance and marathon swimmer born in Alkmaar. Van der Weijden won the Olympic gold in the 10 km open water marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In 2019, he swam the Elfstedentocht for charity, in which he raised more than €6.1 million. He qualified for the Open Water World Championships in Barcelona and won another three Dutch titles; 800 m freestyle (sc+lc) and 1500 m freestyle (lc). Later in 2004, he swam across the IJsselmeer in 4:20.58 hours, breaking the former record by almost 15 minutes to collect €50,000, which he donated to cancer research. In 2005, he won the Dutch title over 400 m freestyle (sc) for the second time in his career.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Maarten van der Weijden timeline

  1. He qualified for the Open Water World Championships in Barcelona and won another three Dutch titles; 800 m freestyle (sc+lc) and 1500 m freestyle (lc).
  2. Later in 2004, he swam across the IJsselmeer in 4:20.58 hours, breaking the former record by almost 15 minutes to collect €50,000, which he donated to cancer research.
  3. In 2005, he won the Dutch title over 400 m freestyle (sc) for the second time in his career.
  4. Van der Weijden won the Olympic gold in the 10 km open water marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
  5. In 2019, he swam the Elfstedentocht for charity, in which he raised more than €6.1 million.

The world when Maarten van der Weijden was born

Maarten van der Weijden was born in 1981. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1981

  • #1 song"Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes
  • Top movieChariots of Fire
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns
  • Top headlineMTV launches
  • Technology milestoneIBM launches the PC
  • Defining fadPac-Man fever
  • Notable inventionIBM PC (personal computer)
  • World population4.53 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population229.5M

1981 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Maarten van der Weijden's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19812026
Gas$1.31$3.45/gal
Average home$68,900$435,000
Average income$22,388$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.78$11.95
Postage stamp$0.18$0.73
Population229.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.