Ard Schenk
Encyclopedia
Adrianus "Ard" Schenk is a former speed skater
from the Netherlands
, who is considered to be one of the best in history. His first Olympic success came in 1968, when he won a silver medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics. Between 1970 and 1972 Winter Olympics, Schenk won three consecutive World Allround Speed Skating Championships
. He won three gold medals at the 1972 Winter Olympics
, becoming, along with Galina Kulakova
of Soviet Union, the most successful athlete there. He was born in Anna Paulowna
, North Holland
.
in Sapporo (a fall on the 500 m caused him to miss the opportunity to win gold in all 4 distances), he also won the European Allround
and the World Allround Championships
. He became World Allround Champion by winning all 4 distances, a feat that nobody had performed since Ivar Ballangrud
40 years earlier. In addition, he won bronze that year at the World Sprint Championships
. By the end of the season, he held all world records except for the 500 m. The next season (1973), he turned professional with a number of other prominent speed skaters, thereby foregoing the opportunity of winning more championships. The professional circuit lasted two seasons and Schenk retired from speed skating at the relatively young age of 30.
Throughout his career he broke 18 world records (just like Gunda Niemann did later), a feat no skater before or after him has bettered. He was the first to skate the 10000 meters under 15 minutes, and the first skater to finish the 1,500 meters in less than 2 minutes. He was also the first person to skate the 1000 meters below 1:19.0 and the first to skate that distance on a lowland rink below 1:20.0. Would the 1000 meters have been included during the 1972 Olympics, Schenk for sure was a candidate for the gold medal. He won the 1000 meters five times during a World Sprint Championship
out of the six times he skated that distance on that tournament (the first two of which were called ISU Championship Sprint).
Schenk has an Adelskalender score of 166.241 points. He was number one on the Adelskalender from 13 January 1966 until 27 February 1967 and again from 13 February 1971 until 19 March 1976 for a total of 6 years and 58 days. The Adelskalender is an all-time allround speed skating ranking.
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, who is considered to be one of the best in history. His first Olympic success came in 1968, when he won a silver medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics. Between 1970 and 1972 Winter Olympics, Schenk won three consecutive World Allround Speed Skating Championships
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
. He won three gold medals at the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
, becoming, along with Galina Kulakova
Galina Kulakova
Galina Alexeyevna Kulakova is a female Soviet former cross country skier, arguably the best skier on distances shorter than 10 km in the early 1970s. Kulakova trained at Trud Voluntary Sports Society...
of Soviet Union, the most successful athlete there. He was born in Anna Paulowna
Anna Paulowna
Anna Paulowna is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The municipality derives its name from the Anna Paulownapolder, which was laid dry in 1846 during the reign of King William II of the Netherlands and in turn named after his wife, Queen Anna Pavlovna...
, North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
.
Biography
In the early 1970s Schenk dominated international speed skating. His career peaked in 1972, when in addition to winning three gold medals during the Olympic Games1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo (a fall on the 500 m caused him to miss the opportunity to win gold in all 4 distances), he also won the European Allround
European Speed Skating Championships
The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The...
and the World Allround Championships
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
. He became World Allround Champion by winning all 4 distances, a feat that nobody had performed since Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud was a Norwegian speed skater, a four-time Olympic champion in Speed Skating. As the only triple gold medalists at the 1936 Winter Olympics, Ballangrud was the most successful athlete there.-Biography:Ivar Ballangrud was one of the best speed skaters in the world for a period of 15...
40 years earlier. In addition, he won bronze that year at the World Sprint Championships
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day...
. By the end of the season, he held all world records except for the 500 m. The next season (1973), he turned professional with a number of other prominent speed skaters, thereby foregoing the opportunity of winning more championships. The professional circuit lasted two seasons and Schenk retired from speed skating at the relatively young age of 30.
Throughout his career he broke 18 world records (just like Gunda Niemann did later), a feat no skater before or after him has bettered. He was the first to skate the 10000 meters under 15 minutes, and the first skater to finish the 1,500 meters in less than 2 minutes. He was also the first person to skate the 1000 meters below 1:19.0 and the first to skate that distance on a lowland rink below 1:20.0. Would the 1000 meters have been included during the 1972 Olympics, Schenk for sure was a candidate for the gold medal. He won the 1000 meters five times during a World Sprint Championship
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day...
out of the six times he skated that distance on that tournament (the first two of which were called ISU Championship Sprint).
Merits
- 1966 European Champion
- 1968 Olympic silver medal, 1,500 meters
- 1970 World & European Champion
- 1971 World Champion
- 1972 World & European Champion, 3 Olympic gold medals
- 1973 World Professional Champion
Championships Results
| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics Speed skating at the Winter Olympics Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:... |
3 | 1 | 0 |
| World Allround Championships World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world... |
3 | 2 | 2 |
| World Sprint Championships World Sprint Speed Skating Championships The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day... |
0 | 0 | 2 |
| European Allround European Speed Skating Championships The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The... |
3 | 1 | 0 |
| Dutch Allround KNSB Dutch Allround Championships The national Dutch Allround speedskating championships are first held in 1901 for man and since 1955 for women-Men's Allround:Source: -Women's Allround:Source: -References:NotesBibliography... |
3 | 4 | 1 |
World records
Over the course of his career, Schenk skated 18 world records:| Distance | Result | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 2:06.2 | 26 January 1966 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| 3000 m | 4:26.2 | 29 January 1966 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 1500 m | 2:05.3 | 30 January 1966 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 3000 m | 4:18.4 | 25 February 1967 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 1000 m | 1:20.6 | 28 February 1967 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 1000 m | 1:20.6 | 5 February 1968 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| 3000 m | 4:12.6 | 15 January 1971 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| 1500 m | 1:58.7 | 16 January 1971 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
171.317 | 31 January 1971 | Oslo Bislett stadion Bislett Stadion is a sports stadium in Oslo, Norway. Bislett is Norway's most well known sports arena internationally, with 15 speed skating world records and more than 50 track and field world records having been set here... |
| 10000 m | 15:01.6 | 14 February 1971 | Gothenburg Ullevi Ullevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992... |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
171.130 | 14 February 1971 | Gothenburg Ullevi Ullevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992... |
| 1000 m | 1:18.8 | 20 February 1971 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 5000 m | 7:12.0 | 13 March 1971 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 10000 m | 14:55.9 | 14 March 1971 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
168.248 | 14 March 1971 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 3000 m | 4:08.3 | 2 March 1972 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 5000 m | 7:09.8 | 4 March 1972 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
167.420 | 5 March 1972 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the column WR lists the official world records on the dates that Schenk skated his personal records, and, since the world records he broke were often his own, the column AE lists the best times skated by anyone else up to those dates.| Distance | Result | Date | Location | WR | AE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 38.9 | 15 January 1971 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
38.46 | 38.46 |
| 1000 m | 1:18.8 | 20 February 1971 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
1:19.2 | 1:19.2 |
| 1500 m | 1:58.7 | 16 January 1971 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
2:01.9 | |2:01.9 |
| 3000 m | 4:08.3 | 2 March 1972 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
4:12.6 | 4:15.7 |
| 5000 m | 7:09.8 | 4 March 1972 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
7:12.0 | 7.13.2 |
| 10000 m | 14:55.9 | 14 March 1971 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
15:01.6 | 15:03.6 |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
167.420 | 5 March 1972 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
168.248 | 170.648 |
Schenk has an Adelskalender score of 166.241 points. He was number one on the Adelskalender from 13 January 1966 until 27 February 1967 and again from 13 February 1971 until 19 March 1976 for a total of 6 years and 58 days. The Adelskalender is an all-time allround speed skating ranking.