Dutch · Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles · Born 3 July 1984Churandy Martina is a retired Dutch sprinter and three-time European champion who competed at five Olympic Games and still holds the Dutch national records in the 100m, 200m, and 60m.
Shawn Crawford — the man officially elevated to 200m silver at the 2008 Olympics after Churandy Martina's disqualification for a lane infringement — later handed his medal to Martina as a personal gesture, an admission from the man who received it that the result felt wrong.. He won his first sprint medal at just six years old and went on to represent the Netherlands Antilles internationally from his teenage years, winning gold in the 100m at the 2002 South American Games and the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships. Martina competed at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics for the Netherlands Antilles, carrying the territory's flag at both opening ceremonies. At the 2008 Beijing Games, he appeared to have won a historic silver medal in the 200m behind Usain Bolt's world-record run, but was disqualified two hours later for stepping out of his lane — a decision upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2009 despite an appeal from the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee. American Shawn Crawford, elevated to silver by the ruling, later gave his own medal to Martina as a gesture of sportsmanship, though it carries no official recognition. After the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved in 2010, Martina began competing for the Netherlands and enjoyed the most decorated period of his career, winning European Championship gold in the 200m and 4x100m relay in 2012, and the 100m in 2016, plus a relay bronze in 2018. He carried the Dutch flag at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony, becoming the only sprinter besides Usain Bolt to reach the 200m final at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, 2016), narrowly missing bronze in 2016 by one hundredth of a second. He retired holding Dutch national records in the 60m, 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.
Competing at five Olympic Games and winning three European sprint titles, after a controversial Olympic disqualification in 2008
How They Played
Explosive, technically refined sprinter specialising in the 100m and 200m
Lasting Impact
One of the most consistent and long-serving sprinters of his generation, and a symbol of the athletic link between the Dutch Caribbean and the Netherlands
Career Honours
- 3x European champion (200m 2012, 4x100m relay 2012, 100m 2016)
- European Championships bronze, 4x100m relay (2018)
- Pan American Games champion, 100m (2007, for Netherlands Antilles)
- Dutch record holder: 100m, 200m, 60m, 4x100m relay
- 5x Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)
Dutch Athletes