Mieke Sterk: key obituary facts
Is Mieke Sterk dead? Yes. Mieke Sterk died on October 27, 2026, at age 80.
Cause of death: Mieke Sterk's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Mieke Sterk known for?
She was a Dutch sprinter, hurdler and pentathlete.
More about Mieke Sterk
Born: 5 January 1946.
Place of birth: Haarlem.
Gender: female.
Occupation: politician, sprinter, hurdler, pentathlete.
Nationality: Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Spouse: Hans van Wissen.
Mieke Sterk, a Dutch Olympic pentathlete and politician, died on October 27, 2026, aged 80.
Born in Haarlem on January 5, 1946, she competed for the Netherlands as a sprinter, hurdler and pentathlete. Her Olympic appearance came at the 1968 Summer Games, where she ran with the Dutch 4×100-metre relay team, which finished fourth.
Sterk also entered the individual 200 metres, but did not reach the final. Her international results included a bronze medal in the pentathlon at the 1970 Universiade, two years after the Olympics, and fifth place in the 60-metre hurdles at the European Indoor Championships. The results reflected her presence in both combined events and sprint and hurdle races across outdoor and indoor competition. Her personal bests were 11.6 seconds in the 100 metres, recorded in 1968, and 23.5 seconds in the 200 metres, set in 1973. After retiring from athletics, Sterk turned to politics. Between 1994 and 1998, she was a member of the Tweede Kamer, the Dutch House of Representatives, serving in the national legislature after her years as an international athlete.