Johan Bontekoe

Johan Bontekoe (1 July 1943 – 25 March 2006) was a Dutch freestyle swimmer who won a gold medal in the 400 meter event at the 1962 European Aquatics Championships. This was the second ever European gold medal for a Dutch male swimmer after 1938 (Kees Hoving). He also competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics but failed to reach the finals. Meanwhile, he was the leading middle and long-distance freestyle swimmer in the Netherlands, winning almost all 200–1500 m events and setting 28 national records between 1960 and 1964. After retiring, he worked in a bank, but also remained associated with the Dutch swimming federation. He suffered from ill health in his last years, and died of pneumonia at the age 62.