Olympic athletes interviewed Episode 24: Reinder Nummerdor ‘I always want to improve.’

Quintuple Olympian Reinder Nummerdor outlines how he maintained to stay motivated over 5 Olympic Games.

Reinder participated at the Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney and the Olympic Games 2004 in Athens he competed as an Indoor Volleyball player, and at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the London 2012 Olympics, and the Rio Olympics 2016 he competed as a Beach Volleyball player.

Reinder explains how he followed his heart, when he decided to switch to Beach Volleyball.

Furthermore we discuss

·      His darkest moment

·      His best moment

·      What advice would he give his younger self

·      His decision to switch from Indoor Volleyball to Beach Volleyball

·      If his daughter wants to become a professional volleyball player how would he react

·      The habits that make you a successful athlete or person

·      His morning routine 

·      How to prepare for important moments

·      How to overcome setbacks

·      His role model

·      The best advice he has received and who gave it to him

·      Who he nominates to be interviewed

·      Where can you find Reinder Nummerdor 

Intro: This interview features Reinder Nummerdor, Reinder was nominated by Victor Anfiloff in a previous interview. Reinder is a quintuple Olympian, which is a fancy word for five-time Olympian, and has participated in the Olympic Games 2000 and 2004 as an indoor volleyball player, as well as in the Olympic Games 2008, 2012 and 2016 as a beach volleyball player.

Reinder’s long list of achievements includes

-       a 5th place for Indoor Volleyball at the Olympics 2000 in Sydney

-       a 5th place at the Beijing Olympics 2008 in Beach Volleyball

-       a 4th place at the London 2012 Olympics

-       a 5th place at the Rio Olympics 2016

-       Runner-up at the World Champs 2015

-       European Champion Indoor Volleyball 1997

-       Three peat European Champion Beach Volleyball 2008 – 2010

-       best defender in 2009 and 2011 awarded by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)

-       most inspirational player 2016 awarded by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)

Reinder is now the assistant coach for the Dutch national men’s team for Beach Volleyball. Welcome, Reinder.

Reinder: Thank you.

Reinder’s darkest moment

Christian: Reinder, in your life as an athlete, what was your darkest moment?

Reinder: Because I had a long career, I had a few dark moments, but I think the one that hurts the most was the loss in the quarter-final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. That was perhaps our best chance to finish at a top spot in the Olympics, because we were at the top in the world at that moment. We played a team that we should have beaten on paper, and maybe that gave us a bit of extra pressure, at least in my head, and therefore, I didn't play my best.

The one that hurts the most was the loss in the quarter-final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. That was perhaps our best chance to finish at a top spot in the Olympics, because we were at the top in the world at that moment.

Of course, being in the quarter-finals there was a big opportunity to go for the medals, and knowing that, probably gave me some anxiety. And because the loss was partly mental, it hurts even more. I don't know why that is but that’s how I felt.

Because the loss was partly mental, it hurts even more.

Christian: And how did you recover from that?

Reinder: The good thing about the ending of the Olympics is, that it is the end of a goal that you’ve been working towards for four years. You get a lot of time to recover mentally because there is a long break. You don't have to train and there’s no practice, so that gives you time to recover and set new goals.

The end of the Olympics, is also the end of a goal that you’ve been working towards for four years, and you get a lot of time to recover mentally. I started to make new goals and worked towards them. That cleared my head.

I started to make new goals and then work towards them, and that cleared my head after a while. What I learned from that is that I should have talked about my mental struggles earlier, maybe with a coach or a doctor.  Sometimes it helps me to just talk about what's in my head; just talking to someone clears my head and makes me feel better. That's really enough most of the time.

Reinder’s best moment

Christian: What was your best moment?

Reinder: There were a few ‘best moments’, but I think what has been most impactful for me, and maybe for Beach Volleyball in Holland as well, was when Richard and I won the World Tour event. We were the first men's team in Holland to win a World Tour event.

The most impactful for me, and maybe for Beach Volleyball in Holland as well, was when we won our first World Tour event. That may seem a little bit strange, because it's not the highest award that I’ve ever gotten. But it was a confirmation that we were on the right track and we could beat everyone at that time.

That may seem a little bit strange, because it's not the highest award that I’ve ever gotten. I think getting second place in the World Championships and European Champion are better achievements, but it never happened before in Holland that a men's team, won a gold medal at a World Tour event.

It was the best achievement ever in history. And the fact that we did it was crazy, we had beaten the Brazilians, who were the best team in the world. It was also a confirmation that we were on the right track and we could beat everyone at that time. And the impact that it had was enormous, the text messages we got for example, it was crazy.

What advice would he give a younger Reinder Nummerdor

Christian: If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?

Reinder: When I was a young athlete, we didn't have the knowledge about food and lifestyle, as we have now. Now we're talking with the guys about sleeping, lifestyle, nutrition, and so much more. There is also so much more information available, and I'm really happy that in the last few years I got to experience this a bit with the new coaching staff.

When I was a young athlete, we didn't have the knowledge about food and lifestyle, as we have now. There is so much more information available, and I'm really happy that in the last few years I got to experience this. It was much more professional.

In the last years of my career, I was way more focused, and I was paying more attention to my food and my lifestyle. It was much more professional. You also have to be lucky with who you get as your coach, and I think the coach we had in the last few years was really good for me physically and mentally.

Reinder’s decision to switch from Indoor Volleyball to Beach Volleyball

Christian: How did you decide to switch from Indoor Volleyball to Beach Volleyball?

Reinder: That was purely me following my heart. I was playing in Italy for eight years in a row, plus playing with the national team in the summer.  It was a really tough ten years of my career, I was playing to the bone.

That was purely me following my heart.

The national team was a tough program with a lot of traveling because of World League games.  We would play World Championships, European Championships or Olympics at the end of the summer season, and then one week later you had to be at your club. There was no time for rest. One week later you would play in the first league for Indoor Volleyball.

I was tired of the life alone abroad every year and the pressure altogether, and when I started to think about Beach Volleyball I was smiling. It was going to be a new ambition, a new challenge. I was ready for it, and money-wise it was the most stupid decision to make, if you were to talk about contracts or salary.

I was tired of the life alone abroad, and when I started to think about Beach Volleyball I was smiling. I was ready for this new challenge, but salary-wise it was the most stupid decision to make. But I'm proud of that choice, because I just did what I liked.

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