# Cathelijn Peeters

Cathelijn Peeters (pronounced; born 6 November 1996) is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in hurdling and sprinting and previously competed in the combined events and hammer throw. Peeters specializes in the 400 metres hurdles and in the 400 metres. In the 4 × 400 metres relay, she is the 2023 World Champion and the 2024 World Indoor Champion with the Dutch women's team and the 2024 Olympic Champion with the Dutch mixed team.
Individually, Peeters won bronze medals at the 2023 European Games and the 2024 European Championships and five national titles at the Dutch Championships in 2020–2024. As part of the Dutch women's 4 × 400 metres relay team, she won gold medals at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, 2023 World Championships, 2024 World Indoor Championships, and 2024 European Championships and she shares the Dutch records outdoor and indoor. As part of the Dutch mixed 4 × 400 metres relay team, she won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Peeters' highest World Athletics Rankings were No. 11 in the 400 metres hurdles in 2024, No. 77 in the 400 metres in 2024, and No. 233 of women overall in 2024. With the Dutch women's 4 × 400 metres relay team, she won the Dutch Sports Team of the Year award in 2023.

## Early life

Cathelijn Peeters was born on 6 November 1996 in Dongen, Netherlands, where she also grew up. Her cousin Silke Peeters is also a national level hurdler.

## Senior career
### 2015–2023

Peeters competed in the combined events until 2020 and in the hammer throw until 2021. After 2021, she specialized only in hurdling and sprinting.
Peeters reached the national podium for the first time at the 2019 Dutch Championships, taking third place in the hurdles. She followed this with wins at the national championships in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
She set a personal best of 53.34 seconds for the 400 metres, gaining selection for the Dutch relay team at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. During the heats of the women's 4 × 400 m relay Peeters dropped the baton, causing the team to be eliminated.
She was a gold medallist in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships, helping break the Dutch record and championship record with a time of 3:25.66 minutes alongside Femke Bol, Lieke Klaver and Eveline Saalberg. On 27 August 2023, the Dutch team continued the success with a gold medal in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Peeters won the Dutch Sports Team of the Year award with the Dutch women's 4 × 400 metres relay team in 2023.

### 2024

On 3 February, she won the 400 m short track in 52.51 s i at the IFAM Indoor Meeting in Ghent, Belgium. On 17 February, she improved her personal best in the 400 m short track to 52.01 s i in the heats of the 2024 Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. On 3 March, she ran the second leg of the 4 × 400 m relay short track, where she won a gold medal with Lieke Klaver, Lisanne de Witte, and Femke Bol of the Dutch women's relay team at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
On 28 April, she improved her personal best in the 400 m to 51.08 s at the SprintFest in Willemstad, Curaçao. On 4–5 May, she competed in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2024 World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas. With the Dutch women's team, she qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the second qualification round in 3:27.45 min. On 26 May, she won the 400 m hurdles in a new personal best time of 54.32 s at the IFAM Outdoor Meeting in Brussels, Belgium. On 28 May, she won the 400 m hurdles in 54.31 s, further improving her personal best at the Golden Spike Ostrava in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
On 10–12 June, Peeters competed at the 2024 European Championships in Rome, Italy. In the 400 m hurdles, she won a bronze medal finishing in 54.37 s after Femke Bol and Louise Maraval. In the women's 4 × 400 m relay, she won a gold medal with Klaver, De Witte, and Bol in 3:22.39 min, where she ran the second leg in a split time of 50.96 s.

## Personal bests

Information from her World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

### Individual events

Personal best results for individual events :
| Event | Result | Venue | Date | Notes |
| 100 metres | 11.99 s | Tilburg, Netherlands | 18 August 2024 | (Wind: 1.0 m/s) |
| 200 metres | 23.89 s | Tilburg, Netherlands | 18 August 2024 | (Wind: 1.4 m/s) |
| 200 metres short track | 24.25 s i | Dortmund, Germany | 6 January 2024 | |
| 300 metres | 44.63 s i | Ghent, Belgium | 2 January 2016 | |
| 300 metres short track | 44.63 s i | Ghent, Belgium | 2 January 2016 | |
| 400 metres | 51.08 s | Willemstad, Curaçao | 28 April 2024 | |
| 400 metres short track | 51.56 s i | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 23 February 2025 | |
| 800 metres | 2:17.38 min i | Ghent, Belgium | 11 January 2020 | |
| 800 metres short track | 2:17.38 min i | Ghent, Belgium | 11 January 2020 | |
| 60 metres hurdles | 8.83 s i | Ghent, Belgium | 26 December 2021 | |
| 100 metres hurdles | 14.11 s | Antwerp, Belgium | 21 August 2021 | (Wind: +0.4 m/s) |
| 200 metres hurdles | 28.63 s | Utrecht, Netherlands | 9 August 2019 | (Wind: +0.5 m/s) |
| 400 metres hurdles | 54.31 s | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 28 May 2024 | |
| High jump | 1.59 m | Gemert, Netherlands | 1 June 2019 | |
| Long jump | 5.23 m | Eindhoven, Netherlands | 15 July 2018 | (Wind: +1.7 m/s) |
| Shot put | 10.45 m i | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 3 February 2019 | |
| Hammer throw | 45.80 m | Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands | 7 August 2021 | |
| Javelin throw | 27.99 m | Gemert, Netherlands | 2 June 2019 | |

#### Season's bests

| Year | 400 m | 400 m indoor | 400 m hurdles |
| 2013 | – | – | 71.10 |
| 2014 | – | – | 67.99 |
| 2015 | – | – | – |
| 2016 | – | 62.25 i | 67.19 |
| 2017 | 61.01 | 60.57 i | 65.24 |
| 2018 | – | 59.31 i | 62.53 |
| 2019 | 57.37 | 58.21 i | 59.80 |
| 2020 | 57.94 | 56.78 i | 60.25 |
| 2021 | 56.50 | 55.76 i | 58.17 |
| 2022 | 53.34 | 53.56 i | 56.03 |
| 2023 | 51.73 | 52.94 i | 54.56 |
| 2024 | 51.08 | 52.01 i | 54.31 |
| 2025 | | 51.56 i | |
Key: Lifetime best (in bold)

### Combined events

Personal best results for combined events :
| Event | Result | Venue | Date |
| Heptathlon | 4772 pts | Gemert, Netherlands | 2 June 2019 |
| 100m H (wind) High jump Shot put 200m (wind) Long jump (wind) Javelin 800m 15.08 s (+0.4 m/s) 1.59 m 10.18 m 25.80 s (+1.5 m/s) 5.19 m (+1.3 m/s) 27.99 m 2:20.98 min |||
| Pentathlon short track | 3447 pts i | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 3 February 2019 |
| 60m H High jump Shot put Long jump 800m 9.35 s i 1.55 m i 10.45 m i 4.98 m i 2:20.40 min i |||

### Team events

Personal best results for team events :
| Type | Event | Time m:s | Venue | Date | Record | Notes |
| Women's | 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:19.50 | Paris, France | 10 August 2024 | NR | Teamed with Lieke Klaver, Lisanne de Witte and Femke Bol. Peeters' split time for the second leg was 50.43 seconds. |
| Women's | 4 × 400 metres relay short track | 3:25.07 i | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 3 March 2024 | NR | Third national team of all time. Teamed with Lieke Klaver, Lisanne de Witte, and Femke Bol. Peeters' split time for the second leg was 51.99 s. |
| Mixed | 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:10.81 | Paris, France | 2 August 2024 | | Teamed with Eugene Omalla, Lieke Klaver, Isaya Klein Ikkink. Peeters' split time for the anchor leg was 50.19 seconds. |

## Competition results

Information from her World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

### World Athletics Rankings

Highest overall and event World Athletics Rankings per year.
| Year | 200 m | 400 m | 100 m hurdles | 400 m hurdles | Heptathlon | Overall |
| 2019 | — | 1591 | — | 304 | 574 | 5930 |
| 2020 | — | 1300 | — | 321 | 568 | 5716 |
| 2021 | — | 967 | 910 | 140 | 594 | 2776 |
| 2022 | 1556 | 304 | 907 | 62 | — | 1198 |
| 2023 | — | 126 | — | 19 | — | 366 |
| 2024 | — | 77 | — | 11 | — | 225 |
| 2025 | — | — | — | 13 | — | 217 |
Key: Lifetime best (in bold)

### International competitions

Representing the  Netherlands :
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | — | 4 × 400 m relay | DQ | TR24.6 |
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:25.66 | CR NR |
| 2023 | European Games | Kraków, Poland | 3rd | 400 m hurdles | 54.97 | |
| 2023 | European Team Championships (1st Division) | Kraków, Poland | 3rd | 400 m hurdles | 54.97 | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 14th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 54.63 | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:20.72 | NR |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:25.07 | NR |
| 2024 | World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 10th (r1) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:28:10 | |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd | 400 m hurdles | 54.37 | |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:22.39 | (50.96 split) |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 1st | 4 × 400 m mixed | 3:10.81 | (50.19 split) |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 19th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 55.20 | |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:19.50 | NR (50.43 split) |
| 2025 | European Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 12th (sf) | 400 m | 53.21 | |
| 2025 | European Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:24.34 | |

### Circuit wins

* World Athletics Continental Tour
       400 metres hurdles wins, times (in seconds) specified in parentheses:
   * 2024 (2): Brussels International Flanders Athletics Meeting Outdoor (54.32), Ostrava Golden Spike (54.31)
* World Athletics Indoor Tour
       400 metres short track wins, times (in seconds) specified in parentheses:
   * 2024 (1): Ghent International Flanders Athletics Meeting Indoor (52.59 i)

### National championships

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
| 2017 | Dutch Championships | Utrecht | 6th in heats | 400 m hurdles | 1:07.60 |
| 2018 | Dutch Indoor Combined Events Championships | Apeldoorn | 9th | Pentathlon sh | 3220 pts i |
| 2018 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 5th in heats | 400 m sh | 60.46 i |
| 2019 | Dutch Indoor Combined Events Championships | Apeldoorn | 13th | Pentathlon sh | 3447 pts i |
| 2019 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 4th in heats | 400 m sh | 58.42 i |
| 2019 | Dutch Championships | The Hague | 3rd | 400 m hurdles | 59.80 |
| 2020 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 3rd in heats | 400 m sh | 56.78 i |
| Dutch Championships | Utrecht | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 1:00.32 |
| Dutch Combined Event Championships | Emmeloord | 7th | Heptathlon | 4706 pts |
| 2021 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 4th in heats | 200 m sh | 25.96 i |
| 2021 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 4th in heats | 400 m sh | 57.02 i |
| 2021 | Dutch Championships | Breda | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 58.17 |
| 2022 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 6th | 400 m sh | 54.48 i |
| 2022 | Dutch Championships | Apeldoorn | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 56.51 |
| 2023 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 3rd | 400 m sh | 53.11 i |
| 2023 | Dutch Championships | Breda | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 54.95 |
| 2024 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 3rd | 400 m sh | 52.08 i |
| 2024 | Dutch Championships | Hengelo | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 55.24 |
| 2025 | Dutch Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn | 2nd | 400 m sh | 51.56 i |