After competing in soccer in his youth, De Vreugd started weightlifting very late at the age of 29 in 1981. In 1982 he began competing as a powerlifter, and won the Dutch National Championships in 1983. De Vreugd won the IPF World Powerlifting Championships in the +125 kg class in 1985. De Vreugd was the first European to total 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) in powerlifting in 1985, including a 927 lb (420 kg) squat.[2] Later that year he made a total of 1002,5 kg which was the Dutch record for 32 years (until November 2017). Without using a bench shirt (what holds the upper body tight) it's still the raw Dutch record. The squat (420 kg) earlier in 1985 still stands as the Dutch record in April 2022.[3]
De Vreugd competed at 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) and approximately 311 lb (142 kg) during his strongman career.[4]
Death
In 1998 De Vreugd died of a heart attack. De Vreugd is buried at a cemetery named Duinrust, located in Katwijk aan Zee.[4]
