The Hague FM » Badminton player Mark Caljouw is back from the Olympic Games in Tokyo: ‘Intensely enjoyed’

‘I couldn’t believe my eyes in the Olympic village alone,’ says Mark Caljouw, who played for the Netherlands in Tokyo in the men’s singles badminton. A special achievement in itself, because no Dutch man has participated in this part for 25 years. At Haags Bakkie, the 26-year-old Rijswijker talks about his extraordinary experience.

After a long period of intensive training and his participation in the Games, it is time for Caljouw to blow off some steam. ‘I have three weeks of vacation and I haven’t had that in ten years. I’m going to enjoy that to the fullest.’

Unit

The fact that Caljouw had to acknowledge his superiority in the eighth finals in his opponent from Guatemala did not detract from his experience much. ‘You can say ‘we are going for a medal’, but you also have to be realistic; a Dutchman has never achieved that. But it was a dream and I thoroughly enjoyed it.’

According to Caljouw, solidarity among athletes has played a major role in this. ‘TeamNL has really created a unity and you notice that immediately when you enter the Olympic village. The moment a colleague receives a medal, everyone is clapping and screaming loudly, even though you may not know that person very well.’

no stop

Unlike many other sports in the Netherlands, Badminton is rarely in the spotlight on a large scale. It’s a shame, says Caljouw. ‘Everyone at the campsite has had a racket and shuttle in their hands at some point, but that is different from what we do. You don’t often get to see how spectacular the sport is and I don’t think it always gets the attention it deserves.’

In any case, the Olympic chapter is not yet closed for Caljouw. “I am going for the Games in Paris in 2024 anyway. I hope to take this experience with me and I think it can only get better there.” In the coming weeks he will enjoy his holiday for a while, ‘but we don’t really know a stop in the badminton world,’ he laughs.

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