Born in Drachten, Douwe Amels' family was interested in athletics and joined Impala, a local club, to work with coach Hans-Jörg Thomaskamp.[3][4]
In 2010, he set a national junior record for the high jump and competed at the World Junior Championships in Athletics held in Moncton, Canada. His first senior national titles followed in 2011 and 2012, when he won both outdoor and indoor titles.[3] Having reached the peak of senior national athletics, he remained in the age category competitions internationally, jumping at the 2011 European Under-23 Championships and then the 2013 European U23 Championships, winning the gold medal at the latter with a personal best jump of 2.28 m (7 ft 5+3⁄4 in).[5]
He equalled his personal best of 2.28 m in Zoetermeer (NED) on 28 August 2019, qualifying for the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where he did not advance to the final.[1]
At the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, the 31-year-old equalled Wilbert Pennings' Dutch record of 2.31 m dating back to 2002 to claim the gold medal, the biggest success of his career up to that point. It was the first Dutch title in the men's high jump in history and the first high jump medal for the Netherlands in these championships since Ruud Wielart's bronze in 1977.[2]
Statistics
Amels jumps at the 2011 Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn.Douwe Amels during the high jump event at the 2021 Dutch Championships in Breda.