[2] Bril competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics at age 15 in his home town, finishing fifth in the flyweight class, just out of medal contention.

[3][4] In his Olympic competition, after a first round bye, he defeated Myles McDonagh of Ireland, before losing to Buddy Lebanon of South Africa.

[4] As a high point in his amateur career, he won a gold medal at the 1935 Maccabiah Games, held in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Once deported to Northern Germany and interned at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Bril was able to get a job, and then a promotion to the position of Blockälteste, which put him in charge of his barrack.

[2] Bril died on 11 September 2003, at the age of 91 at the Beth Shalom Retirement Home in Amsterdam, and was buried at the Jewish cemetery of Muiderberg.

The Dutch swimmer Erica Terpstra handed out the first copy of the book to Ben's only son Albert Bril.