Janny Minholts

Janny Minholts also written as Janneke Minholtz (born 22 November 1949) is a Dutch former Paralympic swimmer from Oosterhoogebrug. She was a member of Gehandicapten Sportclub Groningen (GSC), Zwemclub Groningen (ZCG) and represented the Netherlands at international competitions. She won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the 1968 Summer Paralympics.

Career​

She prepared three years intensively on the 1968 Summer Paralympics. She trained almost every early morning at “Helperbad” in Groningen. She was trained and coached by Jan van der Tuin and trained together with Olympians Klenie Bimolt and Coby Sikkens. The swimming events at the 1968 Summer Paralympics took all place on the same day. She won the gold medal in the 50 m Backstroke special class event, breaking her own world record, ahead of Ingrid van der Benden. She won another gold medal in the 3x 50 m Medley Relay special class event together with Wil Verschoor and Ingrid van der Benden. Minholts swam the 50 m backstroke. The third event where she competed in was the 50 m Breaststroke special class. She wasn’t in general not as good in the breaststroke as in the backstroke and won the bronze medal.

In the weeks after she returned from the Paralympics, she was honored multiple times. Including the village hall on Saturday 16 November. A festive event where people could congratulate her. She was addressed by the alderman and mayor. On 22 November she was honored by minister Klompé in The Hague.

After the Paralympics, she retired from competitive swimming. As she was in her 5th and last year at the Thorbecke Lyceum in Groningen, she focussed after the Paralympics on her final examination. After graduation she planned to study at the Academie voor Sociale en Culturele Arbeid to become a social worker.