Lieke Klaver (pronounced [ˈlikə ˈklaːvər]; born 20 August 1998) is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in sprinting.
[5] Klaver gained her first international experience at age 15 at the 2014 World Under-20 Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, U.S., where she competed in the 4 × 100 metres relay.
[4] During this pandemic season, Klaver won also her first Diamond League race, a victory in the 400 m at the Golden Gala in Rome, Italy with a time of 50.98 s, becoming just the second Dutch woman to break the 51-second barrier.
During the summer season, Klaver greatly lowered her outdoor pre-2022 best (50.98 s) down to 50.18 seconds in the semi-finals at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she finished fourth in the final.
[10][11] The following month, Klaver won her first individual major medal, a silver for the 400 m at the European Indoor Championships held in Istanbul.
On 19 August, during the 4 × 400 mixed relay final, Klaver's teammate Femke Bol fell within metres of the finish line, while vying with Alexis Holmes of the USA for first place.
During her second leg, she brought the Dutch team back from the middle of the pack to the top three, along with Great Britain and Jamaica.
On the fourth leg, Klaver's teammate Bol anchored the Dutch team to the world title, passing the Brits and Jamaicans in the last metres.
[15] [16] On 17 September, Klaver was third in the 2023 Diamond League final of the 400 metres with a time of 50.47 seconds, after champion Marileidy Paulino and Natalia Kaczmarek.
Klaver won a silver medal in the 400 metres short track at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, finishing in 50.16 s almost a second after Femke Bol.
[19][20] At the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava, Klaver won the 400 m short track in 50.92 s.[4] Information from her World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.