The Journey of Marrit Steenbergen: Surrounded by Greatness and Willing to Push Limits
As her profile started to take shape on the international stage, a teenage Marrit Steenbergen was surrounded by spectacular talent as a member of the Dutch National Team. Take the 2016 Olympic Games for example. In Rio de Janeiro, a 16-year-old Steenbergen raced in the final of the 400-meter freestyle relay, an event which the Netherlands finished just off the podium with a fourth-place finish.
Steenbergen led off that relay with a split of 54.29, and then watched as veterans Femke Heemskerk (53.47), Inge Dekker (53.85) and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (52.20) went to work. The experience followed Steenbergen’s appearance at the previous year’s World Championships in Kazan, and the two competitions offered the youngster a glimpse of the sport at the premier level.
A decade later, Steenbergen finds herself as the world-record holder in the 100 freestyle, a title she claimed at the 62nd edition of the Sette Colli International Trophy. Behind a time of 51.68, Steenbergen sliced .03 off Sarah Sjostrom’s global standard of 51.71, which was set at the 2017 World Champs. It was Steenbergen’s third venture inside the 52-second barrier in the past few weeks, complementing performances of 51.86 and 51.97 during the Mare Nostrum Series. She’s the only athlete to go 51-point on more than one occasion, and Steenbergen added a fourth such effort at the Dutch Trials for the European Champs, going 51.82.
Steenbergen’s march toward world-record-holding status was a gradual journey, beginning with the experience she garnered during the mid-2010s, and while surrounded by the likes of Kromowidjojo, a recent International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee. Over the past three years, however, Steenbergen has taken a monumental leap up the sport’s hierarchy, with gold medals in the 100 freestyle secured at the 2024 and 2025 versions of the World Championships.
A year earlier, at the 2023 Worlds in Fukuoka, Steenbergen captured the bronze medal in the 100 freestyle, placing behind Australian Mollie O’Callaghan and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey. To reach the podium at that meet was a significant feat, along with the way she managed the most daunting schedule of any athlete in attendance. Over the course of eight days, Steenbergen raced on 20 occasions between her individual events and relay duties.
Hefty schedules are not uncommon in the sport. At the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, where he combined for 16 medals (14 gold), Michael Phelps embraced 17-swim programs. Phelps’ schedule was incredibly taxing, as he was also under the media microscope and handling solo events included several outings of 200 meters and longer. Thanks to his preparation, both physical and mental, he was able to handle the demands of the moment.
For Steenbergen, her 20-race slate covered races between 50 and 200 meters and included 12 individual outings. In the 50 freestyle, she navigated four rounds, as she needed to win a swimoff with France’s Marie Wattel to advance to the final. In relay competition, Steenbergen was a member of the Dutch squad in the prelims and finals of the 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay amd mixed medley.
Without Steenbergen contributing to the Netherlands’ prelims relays, several of those squads would have been in danger of missing out on finals. Steenbergen’s dedication to her country might not have been the best scenario for her individual-event freshness, but it spoke to her unselfish and team-oriented mentality. More, the demands of her week in Japan can be seen as beneficial to her growth, and ability to handle adversity.
Next month, Steenbergen will be favored to mine gold in the 100 freestyle at the European Championships in Paris. Will she take the record even lower? Time will tell. For now, though, Steenbergen is riding a major wave of momentum, a roll she’ll hope to take into next year’s World Champs in Budapest, and then to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
From rising teen to world-record holder, Steenbergen has challenged herself throughout her journey. The reward is status few athletes ever realize.