To Youth Fund Shot Putter Benthe König new ambassador: “Sport brings so much!” page

Shot putter Benthe König new ambassador: "Sport brings so much!" | April 7, 2023

Shot putter Benthe König new ambassador: “Sport brings so much!”

As a teenager from Velp, she was allowed to train at Papendal once a week and thought: "Oh, how wonderful, just among all the top athletes." Now Benthe Köning (25) is that inspiring top athlete herself, with a mission to compete in the shot put at the Olympic Games in Paris next year. And she's the new ambassador for the Gelderland Youth Fund for Sports and Culture. "It's good for every child to participate in sports, and I'm happy to contribute to that."

Benthe has always taken sports for granted. "I come from an athletic family. When I was 3, I started toddler gymnastics on Wednesday afternoons. I loved it and asked my mother every day if it was Wednesday yet." After toddler gymnastics came gymnastics, but secretly she already had her sights set on athletics, which her older sister was doing. She just had to wait until she was old enough to join. "For a few years, I played both sports, but at a certain point, athletics became more and more serious. I found it difficult to leave my gymnastics friends behind, but choosing athletics was the obvious choice."

Olympic dream

"As a child, you compete in all the disciplines in athletics, and I did shot put and the all-around for a long time. Gradually, I realized I could become really good if I specialized in shot put." No surprise, really, because at 13, she had already become the Dutch champion in that discipline. And at one of the youth competitions, the judges even had a measuring tape that was too short. "In 2013, I competed in the European Youth Olympic Festival and won bronze. I already had a bit of an Olympic dream, and then I knew for sure: this is what I want!"

Paris, Los Angeles and a master's degree

Her Olympic dream is set to come true for the first time next year in Paris. "I'm training a lot this year to improve my technique. Shot put is a technical sport; you need years of training and experience. Most shot putters don't reach their peak until they're thirty. So I'm definitely looking forward to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles!" Starting this summer, she can qualify for Paris. "That's exciting, because we have four talented shot putters, unique for the Netherlands, and there's only room for three at the Games." Meanwhile, she's also working on her master's degree in biomedical sciences. "Just doing sports makes your world smaller. And both Papendal and the university are flexible, so it's easy to combine."

Photo credits: BSR agency

Addictive

For Benthe, a life without sports is unthinkable. "It gives me so much; I can completely express myself through it. It sounds cliché, but I can really clear my head from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It's addictive. If I do nothing for a week during the holidays, I get restless, so I'll play a game of tennis or something to burn off some energy." That's why she hopes every child can participate in sports. "It's healthy, and you learn a lot. Even in an individual sport like athletics, you train with peers and do exercises together. And you can enjoy the outdoors! I feel like I used to play outside all the time, but now children are more likely to be behind screens. If you play sports, you're outside at least once a week on a soccer field or track."

Enable Youth Fund

Benthe heard about the Youth Fund for Sports & Culture through her athletics club, Ciko '66. "I think it's a great initiative; every child benefits from sports. It certainly doesn't have to be elite sports; simply enjoying the movement is enough. I understand that parents with financial worries sometimes have other priorities, but the Youth Fund offers the opportunity for children to participate. As an ambassador, I hope to help more parents get involved!"