Robert Lijesen

He was part of the team that broke the European record in the 4 × 100 m freestyle (SC) at the 2008 FINA Short Course World Championships alongside Bas van Velthoven, Mitja Zastrow and Robin van Aggele winning a silver medal doing so. Individually he reached 17th place in the 50 m freestyle. With the 4 × 100 m medley relay he reached an 8th place together with Bastiaan Tamminga, van Aggele and Joeri Verlinden swimming a new national record.

A few weeks before at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships in Eindhoven he won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle, where he split faster than Pieter van den Hoogenband who was later revealed suffered from the flu. Individually he ended 12th in the 100 m freestyle, in the 50 m freestyle he reached the final where he finished 6th.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics he finished 10th in the 4 × 100 m freestyle with Zastrow, van den Hoogenband and van Velthoven. In the 50 m freestyle, his only individual start, he reached a 32nd spot.

Lijesen made his international senior debut at the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships in Shanghai with the 23rd place in the 100 m freestyle.

Robert Lijesen (born February 5, 1985 in Dordrecht) is a Dutch Swimmer, who is specialized in the 50 and 100 m freestyle. He is currently trained by former world champion Marcel Wouda at the same club as multiple olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband. He holds the European record in the 4 × 100 m freestyle Short Course together with Bas van Velthoven, Mitja Zastrow and Robin van Aggele in 3:09.18 swum during the World SC Championships 2008 in Manchester they finished second in this event behind the United States who swum a world record in the same race.