Susan Krumins

Susan Krumins (née Kuijken; born 8 July 1986), is a Dutch middle‑ and long‑distance runner who represented Nike professionally for 12 years. She was remarkably consistent on the global stage; placing top‑eight at five consecutive global outdoor championships from 2013 to 2019 and earning medals at the European Championships in the off years.

Early life and career Born in Nijmegen, she made her international debut in cross country running, competing in the junior section of the 2002 European Cross Country Championships and finishing in 34th. She returned at the 2003 edition but managed only 69th on that attempt. Her first international medals came at the 2003 European Youth Olympic Festival, where she was the gold medallist over 3000 metres and bronze medallist at 1500 metres. Her first global events came the year after: she ranked 71st in the junior race at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but did not finish in the 3000 m at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She performed better at continental level, coming 39th at the 2004 European Cross Country Championships.

Kuijken set a series of personal bests on the track in 2005: 2:06.25 minutes for the 800 metres, 4:19.72 minutes for the 1500 m (for seventh at the 2005 European Cup event), 9:28.45 minutes for the 3000 m (part of a silver medal win at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships) and 10:42.93 minutes for the 3000 metres steeplechase. On grass, she was a junior bronze medallist at the 2005 European Cross Country Championships and placed 58th at the junior race at the 2005 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Collegiate athletics At the end of 2005 she started attending Florida State University, doing a major in psychology, and began competing with the Florida State Seminoles athletic team. She was the 3000 m runner-up at the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and placed 27th at the NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship. In her sole international outing that year, she came 16th in the under-23 race at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships. In 2007 a focus on the 1500 m distance brought results as she greatly improved her best to 4:11.34 minutes – a time which brought her second place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She ranked third at that year's NCAA Cross Country meet.

Professional running A personal best of 4:05.86 minutes for the 1500 m brought her selection for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, although she did not make it out of the heats stage. She won the 3000 m gold medal in the First League of the 2013 European Team Championships and ran a best of 8:39.65 minutes for the distance when placing fourth at the Rieti Meeting (which ranked her first among Europeans for the distance that year). A run of 15:04.36 minutes at the Bislett Games made her the top European that season and she went on to finish eighth in the final of that event at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics – Europe's best performer.

At the start of 2014 she set an early world-leading time of 4:07.21 minutes for the 1500 m while winning at the Perth Track Classic. She won her first national title later that year at that distance. She was selected to run the 5000 m at the 2014 European Athletics Championships and came third behind compatriot Sifan Hassan and Meraf Bahta (both African-born).

In 2015, Kuijken ran 31:54.32 to place 10th at 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres and 15:08.00 to place 8th at 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres.

In 2016, Kuijken ran 31:32.43 to place 14th at Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's 10,000 metres.

11 Feb 2017 - Schoorl 10k road 31:43 (1st) 27 Mar - Venloop HM (debut) 70:51 (4th) 21 May - Vienna 5k road 15:40 (2nd) 2 Jun - Nijmegen 5k 15:21 (4th) 24 Jun - Euro Cup 3k 9:03 (4th) 22 Jul - Heusden 5k 14:53 (1st) 8 Aug - London WC Final 10k 31:20 (5th) 10 Aug - London WC Heat 5k 14:57 (4th) 13 Aug - London WC Final 5k 14:58 (8th) 20 Aug - Birmingham DL 3k 8:34 (7th) 27 Aug - Berlin CL 1500m 4:02 (3rd) 1 Sep - Brussels 2017 Diamond League Final 5k 14:51 (9th)

In 2017, Krumins raced 31:20.24 to place 5th at 2017 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres and 14:58.33 to place 8th at 2017 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres.

On 8 August 2018, she won a silver medal behind Israeli Lonah Chemtai Salpeter in the 10,000 metres at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Personal bests

800 metres – 2:02.24 min (2009) 1000 metres – 2:38.01 min (2014) 1500 metres – 4:02.25 min (2017) Mile run (indoor) – 4:34.11 min (2009) Mile run (road) – 4:18 min (2013) 2000 metres – 5:38.37 min (2013) 3000 metres – 8:34.31 min (2017) 3000 metres indoor – 8:56.27 min (2009) Two miles – 9:23.52 min (2014) 5000 metres – 14:51.25 min (2017) 10,000 metres – 31:05.40 min (2019) 3000 metres steeplechase – 10:42.93 min (2005)

National titles Dutch Athletics Championships 1500 metres: 2014

International competitions