In 2003 Joan van den Akker participated in the World Championships in Paris as a member of the Dutch 4 x 100 metres relay team, together with Jacqueline Poelman, Pascal van Assendelft and Annemarie Kramer. The team nominated itself for the 2004 Summer Olympics, realising the twelfth time out of twenty teams in competition. And although the final remained beyond reach, the Dutch four set a season’s fastest time, scoring 43.96.