Ilse Paulis


Ilse Paulis is a Dutch representative rower. She is a world champion, a dual Olympian, an Olympic gold medallist and has set three world's best times, two of which are standing world records as of 2021. She is racing the lightweight women's double scull with Marieke Keijser at Tokyo 2021.
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Club and education

Paulis rowed collegiately for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Together with Maaike Head, Paulis won the gold medal in the lightweight double sculls at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
For the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, Paulis was appointed Regatta Director in a joint role together with former Olympic champion Nico Rienks.

World record holder

At the 2014 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, in the final of women's lightweight quad scull Paulis, Mirte Kraaijkamp, Elisabeth Woerner and Maaike Head rowed a world's best time of 6:15.95 a mark which has not been beaten as of 2021.
In 2016 at the World Rowing Cup III in Poznan, Paulis and Head set a new world's best time of 6:47.69 in a lightweight double scull. This record stood until June 2021 when Paulis, now rowing with Marieke Keijser clocked 6:43.79 in the final at WRC III in Sabaudia, Italy.

Personal life

Both her younger sisters are rowers too. Bente Paulis was the silver medallist at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the quadruple sculls. Their youngest sister Femke has competed in three junior world championships.