Rintje Ritsma
Encyclopedia
Robert Rintje Ritsma is a former Dutch
long track
speed skater
. His nickname is the Beer van Lemmer, which translates to the Bear from Lemmer.
4 times. He won this title in 1995, 1996,1999 and 2001; he was second in 1998 and 2003; he was third in 1993, 1994 and 2000.
He has won the European Allround Championships
a record 6 times: 1994-1996 and 1998-2000.
He participated in five Winter Olympics, winning two silver and four bronze medals, from the 1994
, 1998
and 2006 Games
.
He also stood at the top of the alltime world ranking, the Adelskalender, for a long time (1,125 days in total).
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...
long track
Long track speed skating
Speed skating is an Olympic sport where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as short track speedskating, inline speedskating, and quad speed skating are also called speed skating...
speed skater
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...
. His nickname is the Beer van Lemmer, which translates to the Bear from Lemmer.
Speed skating career
He has won the World Allround ChampionshipsWorld 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...
4 times. He won this title in 1995, 1996,1999 and 2001; he was second in 1998 and 2003; he was third in 1993, 1994 and 2000.
He has won the European Allround Championships
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...
a record 6 times: 1994-1996 and 1998-2000.
He participated in five Winter Olympics, winning two silver and four bronze medals, from the 1994
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
, 1998
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
and 2006 Games
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
.
He also stood at the top of the alltime world ranking, the Adelskalender, for a long time (1,125 days in total).
World records
Over the course of his career, Ritsma skated 4 world records:| Distance | Time | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 1:51.60 | January 8, 1994 |  Hamar Vikingskipet Olympic Arena Vikingskipet , officially known as Hamar Olympic Hall , is an indoor multi-use sport and event venue in Hamar, Norway. It was built as the speed skating rink for the 1994 Winter Olympics, and has since also hosted events and tournaments in speedway, rally, association football, bandy, ice sledge... |
| 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... |
156.201 | January 9, 1994 | Hamar Vikingskipet Olympic Arena Vikingskipet , officially known as Hamar Olympic Hall , is an indoor multi-use sport and event venue in Hamar, Norway. It was built as the speed skating rink for the 1994 Winter Olympics, and has since also hosted events and tournaments in speedway, rally, association football, bandy, ice sledge... |
| 1500 m | 1.48.88 | December 20, 1997 |  Heerenveen Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The stadium is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, and non-sports events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records were set in the... |
| 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... |
152.651 | February 7, 1999 | Hamar Vikingskipet Olympic Arena Vikingskipet , officially known as Hamar Olympic Hall , is an indoor multi-use sport and event venue in Hamar, Norway. It was built as the speed skating rink for the 1994 Winter Olympics, and has since also hosted events and tournaments in speedway, rally, association football, bandy, ice sledge... |
Personal records