Liemarvin Bonevacia

Liemarvin Bonevacia (born 5 April 1989)^[2] is a Dutch sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. He won bronze medals in the event at the 2016 and 2024 European Athletics Championships, and the 2017 and 2021 European Indoor Championships. Bonevacia also earned five major medals for the 4 × 400 m relays, either men's or mixed, including silver medal in the men's relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Liemarvin Bonevacia

Bonevacia at the 2023 Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn
Personal information
Born	(1989-04-05) 5 April 1989 (age 36) Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles (present-day Curaçao)
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Sport	Athletics
Event	400 metres
Coached by	Laurent Meuwly[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	100 m: 10.40 (Rhede 2017) 200 m: 20.45 (La Chaux-de-Fonds 2021) 300 m: 32.25 (Ostrava 2017) 400 m: 44.48 NR (Bern 2021) Indoors 200 m: 21.09i (Apeldoorn 2018) 400 m: 45.48i NR (Apeldoorn 2022)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  Netherlands Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo 4 × 400 m relay World Championships 2022 Eugene 4 × 400 m mixed World Relays 2021 Chorzów 4 × 400 m relay European Championships 2016 Amsterdam 400 m 2024 Rome 4 × 400 m mixed 2024 Rome 400 m European Indoor Championships 2021 Toruń 4 × 400 m relay 2017 Belgrade 400 m 2021 Toruń 400 m 2023 Istanbul 4 × 400 m relay European Games 2023 Kraków-Małopolska 400 m

He is the Dutch record holder for the outdoor and indoor 400 m, and won 12 individual national titles (200 m, 400 m). Bonevacia was born in Willemstad (Curaçao island), Netherlands Antilles.

Career

As Netherlands Antilles was dissolved in 2010 Curaçao became constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.Thus, qualified for the 2012 London Olympics, Bonevacia could choose to represent the Netherlands or participate independently under the Olympic flag. He was one of four people to participate in the Games as an 'Independent Olympic Athlete'.^[2][3] He competed in the men's 400 metres and was eliminated in the semifinals, when he injured his right hamstring and finished last.^[4][5]

Bonevacia has represented Netherlands since 2013.

On 27 July 2014, during Dutch Championships, he broke Arjen Visserman's Dutch 400 m record dating back to 1986 with a time of 45.41 seconds.

Bonevacia lowered his own national record with a 44.72 clocking in the heats at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics held in Beijing, China.^[6]

He competed for the Netherlands at the 2016 Rio Olympics, in the 400 m and men's 4 × 100 m relay, reaching the semifinals in his individual event.^[4]

Bonevacia won bronze medals in the 400 m at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, and at the 2017 and 2021 European Indoor Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia and Toruń, Poland, respectively.^[2] He also won bronze in the 400 m at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome. His time of 44.88 seconds is awaiting ratification as a European record in Masters athletics (M 35).^[7]

Statistics

Liemarvin Bonevacia at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin

Bonevacia at the 2019 FBK Games in Hengelo

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
Representing  Netherlands Antilles
2010	NACAC U23 Championships	Miramar, FL, United States	13th (h)	200 m	21.62
			12th (h)	400 m	48.21
			6th	4 × 400 m relay	3:15.66	NR
Representing  Curaçao
2011	CAC Championships	Mayagüez, Puerto Rico	14th (h)	400 m	48.04
			9th (h)	4 × 100 m relay	41.49
Representing  Netherlands Antilles
2011	Universiade	Shenzhen, China	26th (qf)	200 m	21.60
			22nd (sf)	400 m	48.26
Representing  Independent Olympic Athletes
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	24th (sf)	400 m	96.42[n 1]
Representing  Netherlands
2013	European Team Championships First League	Dublin, Ireland	4th	400 m	47.38
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:10.46
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	5th	4 × 100 m relay	38.37	SB
2014	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	18th (sf)	400 m	46.38
			10th (h)	4 × 400 m relay	3:05.93
2015	European Indoor Championships	Prague, Czech Republic	20th (h)	400 m	47.62
	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	– (h)	4 × 400 m relay	DNF
	European Team Championships First League	Heraklion, Greece	2nd	400 m	45.94
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:04.91
	World Championships	Beijing, China	24th (sf)	400 m	45.65	(h NR[n 2])
			8th (h)	4 × 100 m relay	38.41	SB
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, OR, United States	19th (h)	400 m	47.48
	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	3rd	400 m	45.41	SB
			7th	4 × 400 m relay	3:04.52
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	15th (sf)	400 m	45.03	SB
			14th (h)	4 × 100 m relay	38.53
2017	European Indoor Championships	Belgrade, Serbia	3rd	400 m	46.26	NR
	European Team Championships Super League	Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France	– (f)	400 m	DQ
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:02.37
	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	11th (h)	4 × 100 m relay	38.66	SB
2018	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	11th (sf)	400 m	45.39
			9th (h)	4 × 400 m relay	3:04.93
2019	European Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	17th (h)	400 m	47.86
	World Relays	Yokohama, Japan	10th	4 × 400 m relay	3:05.15
	European Team Championships First League	Sandnes, Norway	4th	400 m	46.83
2021	European Indoor Championships	Toruń, Poland	3rd	400 m	46.30
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:06.06
	World Relays	Chorzów, Poland	1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:03.45
	European Team Championships First League	Cluj-Napoca, Romania	2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:02.49
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	8th	400 m	45.07
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	2:57.18	NR
			4th	4 × 400 m mixed	3:10.36	NR
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	15th (sf)	400 m	45.50
			2nd	4 × 400 m mixed	3:09.90	NR
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	4th	400 m	45.17	SB
			5th	4 × 400 m relay	3:01.34	SB
2023	European Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	7th (sf)	400 m	46.60
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:06.59	SB
	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	14th (sf)	400 m	45.23
2024	World Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:04.25
	European Championships	Rome, Italy	3rd	4 × 400 m mixed	3:10.73
			3rd	400 m	44.88	AM35R

National titles

• Dutch Athletics Championships
  • 200 metres: 2015
  • 400 metres: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022
• Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships
  • 200 metres: 2018
  • 400 metres: 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022

Notes

1. Bonevacia suffered from hamstring injury.
2. Bonevacia set a Dutch record of 44.72 seconds in the heats.