Denise Tan(II)

Denise Tan was born on September 7, 1994 in the village Hardinxveld-Giessendam. At a age of four she moved with her parents and older brother to Roosendaal. After trying out different kinds of sports, she started gymnastics at a age of six at Dynamo Roosendaal (then Animo Roosendaal). After several months she came in second at the club championships. She began training with the opstapgroep (group for the youngest) and when she was seven, she trained sometimes with the A-selectie. By the time she was eight she was officially a gymnast of this group, with Karin Raven and Matty Oppatja as her coaches. This season she also competed for the first time at regionals and nationals. For two years, Denise continued to compete at the highest level, but when she came in the category youth she decided to do a step back and became 1e division niveau 5. It was a great season for her, with as highlight a second place at nationals. The next season, as youth 1e division niveau 4, she accomplished to get on the third place at the national podium. As a junior she competed again at the highest level, as an elite gymnast. However, the next season she decided to go back to the 1e division. Her first year as a senior started well, but she injured her ankle during the warm ups. Even though, she was determined to compete. After three events she even was in third place, but her last apparatus was beam. This wasn't a great success, considered that she could hardly walk. Even so, she completed her routine and still ended in the top ten. The next year became her most successful season. She came in at first place at Regionals, the Sidijk Gymnastics Tournament, Brabantse Championships, and all national qualifiers. Nationwide, she had several very strong competitors, what made the National Championships very spectacular. Again, beam was her last apparatus, she even was the last gymnast to perform. This time she was focused and her routine turned out to be the best she ever did at a competition. It were here best routines of the season and for the first time she won nationals, with a large margin of almost two points. She was determined to become national champion two times in a row, but unfortunately before her first competition she tore her Achilles tendon. She got into surgery and started re-validation, what meant that it would take at least a year before she could compete again, and a couple of years for total rehabilitation. She didn't back down and after a couple months she competed on the uneven bars and qualified for nationals on uneven bars. She struggled with her injury and a couple skills, and came in fifth place. This season she is trying to make a come back, and we will see how far she will come.

Denise attended in Hardinxveld to De Driemaster and, after she moved, to De Lavoor in Roosendaal (elementary school). After that, she went for six years to the Gertrudiscollege (High School). At a age of sixteen, Denise started studying medicine at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The same year she portrait the lead character in the short movie 'Magnesium', what was showed on national Dutch television and several film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival at Park City, UT, USA.