A Dutch beach volleyball player, Steven Van De Velde, had been living a callous life for the last few years after he was convicted of a serious crime, but now he finally seems to be moving on from his past dark experiences, as he has established a happy family with his wife and children.
The 30-year-old Steven Van De Velde’s life was going quite alright as he was rising as a thriving volleyball player, but his career almost ended in 2014 after the news of his assaulting a 12-year-old British girl whom he met via social media became public in the media.
I wish the same people who are misgendering and wishing the worst on Imane Khelif have the same vocal power about convicted pedophile Steven van de Velde competing in the Olympic Games.
— Cowboy Parker𐚁 (@cuddapotato) August 2, 2024
He raped a 12 year old girl. pic.twitter.com/6mgER9G5kA
The Netherlands native Steven Van De Velde was given a four-year prison penalty after proving guilty in 2017, but he only served one year and was released in 2017.
Many people raised their voices against the court’s decision to release and let him resume his Olympic career.
Therefore, as the people’s hate towards him never stopped, he had a very tough time achieving success in his career and started maintaining a low-key life from the media.
After Steven Van De Velde participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics representing the Netherlands, people’s old anger came out as they started speaking against him, spreading hate comments.
Türkiyeli transfobiklerin hiç konuşmadığı bir isim Steven Van De Velde.
— bawer (@baweraunnehir) August 1, 2024
Hollandalı plaj voleybolcusu, 12 yaşında bir çocuğa tecavüz etmekten hapis yatmış. Bu yıl ülkesini Paris Olimpiyatlarında temsil ediyor. Derdi kadınlar, çocuklar olanın gündemi bu olmalıydı. Ama işte… pic.twitter.com/L15RmqIMFo
After the Olympics, he sat down for an interview for the first time, where he revealed how tough his life has been while claiming, “I’m not the person I was 10 years ago.“
In the interview, Steven Van De Velde stated that he was beginning a new life with his wife, Kim Behrens, and children.
Steven Van De Velde and Kim Behrens tied the knot in January 2022
Volleyball player Steven Van De Velde is a married man, and his wife Kim Behrens is a German police officer. After completing high school in 2012, she started receiving training from Münster police.
Kim Behrens, 32, is also a professional Volleyball player, so she might have met Steven Van De Velde during their Volleyball careers.
According to the Daily Mail, Steven Van De Velde officially married Kim Behrens on January 1, 2022. In their two years of marriage, the couple welcomed their first child, a son, in the spring of 2022.
In the following interviews after the Olympics, he also talked about his family, saying, “Hurting people around me—whether it’s Matthew [his volleyball partner], my wife, my child… that just goes too far for me.”
As a father of a son, Steven Van De Velde realized what people go through when something bad happens to their family or children, as mentioned in his interviews.
Steven has been trying to begin a new life with his wife and child; however, his past karma is not making it easy for him to move on.
Additional Information
- Steven Van De Velde was born on August 8, 1994, in The Hague, Netherlands, to Dutch parents whose details are not available in the media.
- Kim Behrens, or Kim van de Velde, the wife of Steven Van De Velde, was born on September 22, 1992, in Bremen, Germany. She is a national-level volleyball player.
- According to the media reports, Kim Behrens completed a distance learning course in psychology.
