Editing Pieter van den Hoogenband (section)

==Early life==
Born in [[Maastricht]], [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], he is the son of Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband and Astrid Verver, a former Dutch 800&nbsp;m freestyle silver medalist at the [[European Junior Swimming Championships|European Junior Championships]].<ref>[https://swimswam.com/bio/pieter-van-den-hoogenband/ Swim Swam Pieter van den Hoogenband] Retrieved 29 August 2016</ref> He has a younger brother.<ref>[http://ian-pieter.livejournal.com/ Hoogenband/Thorpe's Journal] Retrieved 29 August 2016</ref>

He grew up in [[Geldrop]], where he swam for [[PSV Eindhoven]]. {{citation needed|date=August 2012}} His father, a former [[judoka]], was a team doctor with the professional [[Football (soccer)|football]] team of the same club.

Russian swimmer and four-time Olympic gold medalist [[Alexander Popov (swimmer)|Alexander Popov]] was his role model.<ref>[http://sports.sina.com.cn/s/2005-02-01/1534485723s.shtml 泳坛名将波波夫正式宣告退出 三大天王惜别前辈] Retrieved 17 September 2016</ref>