Eveline Saalberg
Eveline Saalberg is a Dutch sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres.
As part of the Dutch women's and mixed 4 × 400 metres relay team, she won a silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games, a gold medal at the 2023 World Championships, three silver medals at the World Championships, and four gold medals at the European Championships. Individually, she won two gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze medal at the Dutch Championships.
Early life
Eveline Saalberg was born on 30 July 1998 in Arnhem in the Netherlands.At the age of eight, she started competing in athletics and became a member of the club GVAC in Veldhoven. In the youth categories she competed in, she won several medals at Dutch junior championships.
During her student days, Saalberg distinguished herself by becoming a multiple Dutch student champion. She combined all this with a board year as chair of the Student Athletics Association MSAV Uros.
Senior career
2019
Saalberg experienced her breakthrough at the 2019 Dutch Athletics Championships in The Hague in July. Against expectations, she won the title in the 400 m hurdles there. She broke the minute barrier for the first time with a time of 58.86 s. Afterwards, she stated that on a training holiday in South Tyrol, she could fully focus on the technique of hurdling. In the autumn of 2019, Saalberg joined the training group of athletics coach Laurent Meuwly to train at the National Sports Centre Papendal alongside Eva Hovenkamp and Femke Bol.2020
At the Dutch Indoor Championships in February 2020, Saalberg won the bronze medal in the 400 m at 53.65 s. At the Dutch Championships in August, she won the silver medal in the 400 m at 54.16 s.2021
In May 2021, Saalberg competed at the World Athletics Relays as a member of the Netherlands team in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay and mixed 4 × 400 metres relay. In the women's relay, she ran in the heats, where the Netherlands finished fourth in the final. In the mixed relay, she ran in the final, where the Netherlands finished eighth.2022
At the World Indoor Championships in March 2022, Saalberg competed in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the silver medal.In July, she competed at the World Championships. In the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay, she ran in the heats, and the Netherlands won the silver medal in the final. In the women's 400 metres, she ran 52.59 s in the heats and did not advance to the semifinals.
In August, she competed at the European Championships. In the women's 400 metres, she ran 51.81 s in the heats to advance to the semifinals. She ran 52.45 s in the semifinals and did not advance to the final. In the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, she ran in the final, and the Netherlands won the gold medal.
2023
At the European Indoor Championships in March 2023, Saalberg ran in the final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, where the Netherlands won the gold medal.In August, she competed at the World Championships. She ran in the heats and final of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, where the Netherlands won the gold medal.
2024
Saalberg competed at the World Indoor Championships in March 2024. She ran in the heats of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the gold medal in the final.In May, she competed at the World Relays. She ran in the heats and repechage rounds of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay.
In June, she competed at the European Championships. She ran in the heats of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the gold medal in the final.
In August, she competed at the Olympic Games. She ran in the heats of the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the silver medal in the final.
2025
Saalberg competed at the European Indoor Championships in March 2025. She ran in the final of the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the gold medal. In the women's 400 metres, she ran 52.93 s in the heats and did not advance to the semifinals.In September, she competed at the World Championships. She ran in the heats of the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay, and the Netherlands won the silver medal in the final. In the women's 400 metres, she ran 51.73 s in the heats and did not advance to the semifinals. In the women's 4 × 400 metres relay, she ran in the heats and final, where the Netherlands won the bronze medal.