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Biography
Eveline Saalberg (pronounced [ˌeːvəˈlinə ˈsaːlbɛrx]; born 30 July 1998) is a Dutch sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres.
As part of the Dutch women's and mixed 4 × 400 metres relay team, she won a gold medal at the 2023 World Championships, two silver medals at the world championships (outdoor and indoor), and two gold medals at the European Championships (outdoor and indoor). Individually, she won two gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal at the Dutch championships (outdoor and indoor).
Early life
Eveline Saalberg was born on 30 July 1998 in Arnhem in the Netherlands.
At the age of eight, she started with athletics and became a member of the club GVAC in Veldhoven. In the youth categories she competed in, she won several medals at Dutch junior championships.
During her student days, Saalberg distinguished herself by becoming a multiple Dutch student champion. She combined all this with a board year as chair of the Student Athletics Association MSAV Uros.
Senior career
2019
Saalberg experienced her breakthrough at the 2019 Dutch Athletics Championships in The Hague in July. Completely against expectations, she won the title in the 400 m hurdles there. She went under the minute for the first time with a time of 58.86 s. Afterwards, she stated that on a training holiday in South Tyrol, she could fully focus on the technique of hurdling. In the autumn of 2019, Saalberg joined the training group of athletics coach Laurent Meuwly to train at the National Sports Centre Papendal alongside Eva Hovenkamp and Femke Bol.
2020
At the Dutch Indoor Championships in February 2020, Saalberg won the bronze medal in the 400 m at 53.65 s. At the Dutch Championships in August, she won the silver medal in the 400 m at 54.16 s.
2021
In May 2021, Saalberg competed at the World Athletics Relays as a member of the Netherlands team in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay and mixed 4 × 400 metres relay. In the women's relay, she ran in the heats, and the Netherlands finished fourth in the final. In the mixed relay, she ran in the final, and the Netherlands finished eighth.
2022
At the World Indoor Championships in March 2022, Saalberg competed in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the silver medal.
In July, she competed at the World Championships. In the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay, she ran in the heats, and the Netherlands won the silver medal in the final. In the women's 400 metres, she ran 52.59 s in the heats and did not advance to the semi-finals.
In August, she competed at the European Championships. In the women's 400 metres, she ran 51.81 s in the heats to advance to the semi-finals. She ran 52.45 s in the semi-finals and did not advance to the final. In the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, she ran in the final, and the Netherlands won the gold medal.
2023
At the European Indoor Championships in March 2023, Saalberg ran in the final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the gold medal.
In August, she competed at the World Championships. She ran in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the gold medal.
Personal bests
Information from her World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
Individual events
| Type | Event | Time (s) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | 100 metres | 11.80 | Oordegem, Belgium | 27 May 2023 |
| 150 metres | 18.44 | Lisse, Netherlands | 18 May 2019 | |
| 200 metres | 23.39 | La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland | 14 August 2021 | |
| 300 metres | 37.09 | Leuven, Belgium | 7 August 2021 | |
| 400 metres | 50.95 | La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland | 14 July 2024 | |
| 400 metres hurdles | 58.86 | The Hague, Netherlands | 27 July 2019 | |
| Indoor | 60 metres | 7.75 i | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 28 January 2023 |
| 200 metres short track | 24.03 i | Metz, France | 3 February 2024 | |
| 400 metres short track | 52.54 i | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 26 February 2022 |
Season's bests
| Year | 200 m | 200 m sh | 400 m | 400 m sh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 26.25 | – | – | – |
| 2014 | – | – | – | 58.10 |
| 2015 | – | – | 60.59 | – |
| 2016 | – | 26.97 | – | 60.16 |
| 2017 | 24.92 | 25.92 | 59.20 | 58.80 |
| 2018 | 24.88 | – | 56.64 | 58.74 |
| 2019 | 24.32 | 24.81 | 55.73 | 56.34 |
| 2020 | – | – | 54.01 | 53.65 |
| 2021 | 23.39 | 24.48 | 52.19 | 53.79 |
| 2022 | 23.52 | 24.18 | 51.22 | 52.54 |
| 2023 | 23.56 | 24.17 | 52.08 | 53.06 |
| 2024 | 23.47 | 24.03 | 50.95 | 52.97 |
Key: Lifetime best (in bold)
Team events
| Type | Event | Time (m:s) | Venue | Date | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | 4 × 400 m relay women | 3:20.72 | Budapest, Hungary | 27 August 2023 | NR | Teamed with Lieke Klaver, Cathelijn Peeters, and Femke Bol. Saalberg ran the first leg. |
| 4 × 400 m relay mixed | 3:12.63 | Eugene, OR, United States | 15 July 2022 | Teamed with Liemarvin Bonevacia, Lieke Klaver, and Tony van Diepen. Saalberg's split time for the anchor leg was 52.43 seconds. | ||
| Indoor | 4 × 400 m relay short track women | 3:25.66 i | Istanbul, Turkey | 5 March 2023 | NR | Third national team of all time. Teamed with Lieke Klaver, Cathelijn Peeters, and Femke Bol. Saalberg's split time for the second leg was 52.27 seconds. |
Competition results
Information from her World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | World Relays | Chorzów, Poland | 4th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:28.40 | |
| 8th | 4 × 400 m mixed | 3:21.02 | ||||
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:28.57 | |
| World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 32nd | 400 m | 52.59 | ||
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m mixed | 3:12.63 | ||||
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 19th | 400 m | 52.45 | ||
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:25.66 | CR NR |
| European Games | Chorzów, Poland | 8th | 4 x 400 m mixed | 3:20.40 | ||
| European Team Championships First Division | ||||||
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:20.72 | WL NR | |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 3rd (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:27.70 | |
| European Championships | Rome, Italy | 8th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:25.99 | ||
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 6th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:25.03 |
National championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dutch U18 Championships | Eindhoven | 6th in semifinal | 100 m | 12.88 |
| 5th in heats | 200 m | 26.25 | |||
| 2014 | Dutch U18 Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 2nd | 400 m sh | 58.10 i |
| 2015 | Dutch U18 Championships | Breda | 7th in semifinal | 400 m | 60.62 |
| 2017 | Dutch U20/U18 Championships, U20 Events | Vught | 3rd | 200 m | 24.92 |
| Dutch Championships | Utrecht | 3rd in semifinal | 200 m | 25.17 | |
| 2018 | Dutch Championships | Utrecht | 3rd in semifinal | 200 m | 24.88 |
| 2019 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 5th | 200 m sh | 24.91 i |
| Dutch Championships | The Hague | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 58.86 | |
| 2020 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 3rd | 400 m sh | 53.65 i |
| Dutch Championships | Utrecht | 2nd | 400 m | 54.16 | |
| 2021 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 4th | 400 m sh | 53.79 i |
| Dutch Championships | Breda | 7th | 400 m | 53.91 | |
| 2022 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 4th | 400 m sh | 52.69 i |
| Dutch Championships | Apeldoorn | 6th | 200 m | 23.76 | |
| 2023 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 5th | 400 m sh | 53.20 i |
| Dutch Championships | Breda | 1st | 400 m | 52.20 | |
| 2024 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 4th | 400 m sh | 53.51 i |
| Dutch Championships | Hengelo | 2nd | 400 m | 52.46 |
