MASTENBROEK, HENDRIKA

born Feb. 26, 1919, Netherlands byname Rie Dutch swimmer who at the age of 17 won four medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Mastenbroek swam in the canals of Rotterdam, Netherlands, to train for distance races and in indoor pools to train for sprint races. In 1934 she won the European 100-metre backstroke and 400-metre freestyle championships. At the 1936 Olympics, Mastenbroek came from behind to win the 100-metre freestyle with a closing burst of speed. In the 400-metre relay the Dutch team trailed for half the race until Mastenbroek's teammate Willy den Ouden took the lead; a final surge by Mastenbroek won her team another gold medal. Her third gold medal came in the 400-metre freestyle, in which Mastenbroek trailed Ragnhild Hveger of Denmark for most of the race, coming from behind once again in the final 25 m to win her third gold medal. Though Mastenbroek held the world record (1 min 15.8 sec) in the 100-metre backstroke, she finished second in that race in the 1936 Olympics. She also set world records in the 440-yard freestyle (5 min 29.1 sec), 150-yard backstroke (2 min 49.6 sec), and 400-metre backstroke (5 min 48.8 sec).