Kristina van Nierop announces international retirement
Kristina van Nierop has announced that she will retire from international duties with the Australian Jackaroos after eleven years and 191 caps in the green and gold regalia.
The Western Australian has amassed countless accolades across her time within the Jackaroos team, headlined by the incredible 2022 Commonwealth Games women’s pairs gold medal that she won with her best friend Ellen Fife.
While coming to the decision has been far from easy for the 32-year-old, she feels as though the time is right to step away from her international duties to focus on life at home in Perth without the rigours of being a high performance athlete.
Making her debut in 2015 in Hong Kong and receiving her cap from one of her idols in Karen Murphy, van Nierop never thought that she would rack up nearly 200 international appearances, but what she had done is realise the dream of a ten-year-old girl picking up a bowl for the first time.
“I think it’s quite surreal for me as it was a big deal for me to actually make the Australian team and get my cap number to begin with back in 2015,” she said.
“But to have played 191 games is something that I thought I would never even dream to achieve.
“It has been a lot more than what I expected and it’s just brought me so much joy, so many wonderful memories and I’ve made so many close friends along the way, from all over the world.
“It was a dream I’d had since I was 10 years old, so to actually achieve it has been incredibly special. I feel really fortunate to have had the career I’ve had.”
Being from Western Australia, there was already a mighty barrier for van Nierop to overcome with the sheer distance to the east coast of Australia, the epicentre of bowls action in the nation.
Despite repeatedly being told that she would need to pack her bags and move east to make it in the sport, the proud Perth resident would politely decline and became determined to succeed at any cost without shifting her life without her important support network with her.
She reveals that there was even a tantalising offer from a large Sydney club that would have allowed her to pursue bowls as well as her successful career as a chiropractor.
“Initially I doubted myself and whether I could make the team while staying in WA. I even had a great offer from Cabramatta in Sydney to move over, work at the club as a chiropractor and play bowls either full-time or part-time,” van Nierop said.
“But in the end, I felt I would struggle without the support of my family and friends around me, and I didn’t want to take the risk of moving over there only to potentially miss out on selection anyway.
“So I thought I would try everything in my power to expose myself and try and make it from WA, which I knew was achievable because Lee Poletti and Roma Dunn had done it years before.
“I knew that I just had to put in the hard work, so to actually achieve it in the end and to make my first pinnacle event in the Commonwealth Games, was really special.
“It’s something I speak to the Western Australian juniors about now and my message is not to give up because it doesn’t matter where you are in Australia, as long as you put in the hard yards, do all the right things and be a great ambassador for our sport, you can achieve anything that you put your mind to.”
When it comes to relationships, none have blossomed more on the bowls green than the friendship between van Nierop and Fife, who you will generally find together at events that they are both participating in.
That culminated in Birmingham 2022 when the duo won one of the greatest bowls matches of the modern era against England’s Sophie Tolchard and Amy Pharoah in the women’s pairs decider.
Despite living a five-hour flight from each other, things just clicked between the two stars when they first joined the squad in the mid-2010’s.
They speak every day and van Nierop is even god mother to Fife’s son, Archie, with the Western Australian highlighting how fortunate she is to have forged such a strong bond from her time within the high performance setup, let alone win a Commonwealth Games gold with her.
“Our relationship has grown so much over the years,” van Nierop said.
“We met when we both made the Australian squad I think maybe twelve years ago, which seems like such a long time ago now, and our friendship has only gotten stronger each day.
“We speak every single day, whether it’s by phone call or text. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we live on opposite ends of the country.
“But that’s something that we both put a lot of time and effort into, is maintaining our great friendship and I’m very lucky to have had her supporting me along the way.
“She’s always been the one to lift me up when I’ve doubted myself, whether it’s been bowls related or in my personal life. She has always had my back, and I really couldn’t have achieved everything I have to date without her.
“My greatest on-green achievement was winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal with her, which was a moment beyond our wildest dreams.”
There has been an abundance of support for van Nierop across her eleven-year international career from all facets of her life, and she labels that mix as one of her biggest drivers.
Family has been a cornerstone for her with her parents, Joe and Dragana, encouraging her to pursue her dreams and her husband, Marcus, who has never stood in her way to aim for any goal that she has been driven to achieve.
“My dad was the one who got me into the sport, and he’s been my biggest supporter from day one. He’s never made me feel bad about losing a game or criticised me, and has always been there to encourage and lift me up. I feel incredibly lucky to have had him by my side throughout my career,” she said.
“Both of my parents have been truly amazing and I’m blessed to have them in my corner.
“My husband Marcus has also been incredibly supportive of my career and he has never made me choose between him and bowls, he has always wanted what’s best for me and to do what makes me happy.
“I really appreciate how much he looks after the dogs when I’m on the road and keeping the house together, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I have without him or my in laws either.”
The support from people within the bowls community has been strong for the 32-year-old, whether it is at club or high performance level, there have been numerous figures that have had lasting impacts on her every step of the way.
“Therese Hastings has played a huge role in my bowls career. Before becoming an Australian selector, she was actually my coach back when we were both at Manning Bowls Club,” van Nierop said.
“She would go out there with me on the green, help me with my drills and give me that extra motivation on the days when I didn’t feel like training.
“I learnt so much from her and she still supports me to this day, whilst maintaining her professional role as selector. Her husband Ian has also had an enormous impact on me and I am incredibly grateful for everything they have done for me.
“My club Manning, I’ve been there since I was 15 and they have always given me great support, as have a lot of my coaches along the way, one of which is Peter Bowden. He was our state coach when I first made my debut for WA.
“Former Australian National Coach Gary Willis and National Assistant Karen Murphy were always there to guide and encourage me. I know it wasn’t always easy for them, with me juggling my chiropractic degree, then my physiotherapy degree, all while trying to balance everything else in life.
“They were always understanding of my other commitments and did their best to work around them, which I really appreciated. I can’t thank them enough. They’re amazing coaches and I was incredibly lucky to have them for most of my international career”
“Steve Glasson is another I would like to thank as the coach that gave me my debut, he was a truly fantastic coach.
“Ellen Falkner is another from the high-performance setup, a close friend that has given me so much wisdom, love and care over the past few years.
“Finally, my teammates and the girls that drove me, the 2022 Commonwealth Games team is so tightly knit still with myself, Ellen, Lynsey Clarke, Rebecca Van Asch and Natasha Van Eldik in that squad, as well as Kelsey Cottrell and Dawn Hayman at the 2023 World Championships. All of them are great teammates.”
Bowls Australia’s acting High Performance Director Rebecca Van Asch thanks van Nierop for her dedication to the Jackaroos, and acknowledges the respect in which she represented the country.
“Kristina has been a brilliant representative of the Australian Jackaroos for the past eleven years and it has been a pleasure to see her development and growth, both as a teammate and a member of the High Performance staff,” Van Asch said.
“She has achieved some of the highest accolades within the sport and not only that, she has been a pioneer for bowls within WA, as well as being a terrific role model for all, which is something to be incredibly proud of.
“We would like to thank Krissy for everything that she has given to the Jackaroos and wish her all the best in her next chapter.”
Bowls Australia congratulates and applauds Kristina van Nierop on a magnificent international career.
