Jan van Scheijndel

Jan van Scheijndel (or Jan Van Scheijndel or Jan Van Scheyndal or Jan Van Scheyndel) (1937 - 2011) was a professional marathon swimmer from the Netherlands, a trainer and coach with the The Hague Swim Club DES, and a member of the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation. He was inducted as an Honour Swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1985.

Jan van Scheijndel Memorial Swim

The Jan van Scheijndel Memorial is a 7 km sea swim held in the Netherlands to honor his legacy.

He won the 1972 Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean in 10 hours 48 minutes 43 seconds
He finished third in the 1970 Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean in 8 hours 53 minutes 36 seconds
He finished second in the 1971 Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean in 9 hours 7 minutes 5 seconds
He finished eighth in the 1973 Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean in 8 hours 54 minutes 38 seconds from Péribonka to Roberval in Quebec, Canada.
He was the second person from The Netherlands to swim across the English Channel (after Jan van Hemsbergen). He completed his crossing in 12 hours 47 minutes in 1969
He set an English Channel record with his swim team “Haagse Bluf” in 1969
He was the Lake Windermere International champion in 1968.
In 1965, he started the New Year’s Dive (Nieuwjaarsduik in Dutch) in The Hague with 7 people. The event now draws over 10,000 participants.
In 1969, he became the first person to successfully cross 21 km of the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands from Stavoren to Medemblik, thus initially the IJsselmeer Zwemmarathon, one of the World's Top 100 Open Water Swims.

1. Johan Schans (Holland, 90 laps) and Horacio Iglesias (Argentina, 89 laps)
2. Jon Erikson (USA, 90 laps) and Raul Villagomez (Argentina, 82 laps)
3. Marwan Shedid (Egypt, 86 laps) and Jan Van Scheyndel (Holland, 84 laps)
4. Dennis Matuch (USA, 83 laps) and Diana Nyad (USA, 83 laps)
5. Carlos Aguirre (Argentina, 82 laps) and Marcello Guiscardo (Argentina, 81 laps)
6. Yvon Monpetit (Canada, 82 laps) and Yves Lavoie (Canada, 77 laps)
7. Mohammed Gamie (Egypt, 78 laps) and Tabii El Enen (Egypt, 77 laps)
8. Mahmoud Khamis (Syria, 82 laps) and Said Masri (Syria, 69 laps)
9. Angel Bernatene (Argentina, 75 laps) and Philip Gollop (England, 72 laps)
10. Sultan Kigab (Sudan, 72 laps) and Naste Jonceski (Yugoslavia, 66 laps)
11. Edward Bennett (Canada, 76 laps) and Hassan Abdeen (Canada, 60 laps)
12. Samia Mandour (Egypt, 68 laps) and Fausto Ramirez (Mexico, 63 laps)
13. Mervyn Sharp (England, 71 laps) and Thomas Hetzel (USA, 56 laps)
14. Michel Poirier (Canada, 66 laps) and Daniel Boyle (Canada, 59 laps)