Rutgerus Liebrechts (born 6 September 1941, Vlaardingen

Vlaardingen

Vlaardingen is a town in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas/Nieuwe Waterweg river at the confluence with the Oude Maas...

) is a former Dutch

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...

 speed skater and racing cyclist.

Liebrechts was among the best Dutch speedskaters from 1961 to 1967. He twice became Dutch Allround champion, in 1963 and 1964, while he finished second in 1965 (behind Ard Schenk

Ard Schenk

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...

), and third in 1966 (behind Kees Verkerk

Kees Verkerk

Cornelis Arie Verkerk , better known as Kees Verkerk, is a former speed skater from the Netherlands.-Short biography:...

 and Ard Schenk).

He had his biggest international successes at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships

World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men

The International Skating Union has organised the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1893. Unofficial Championships were held in the years 1889-1892.-History:-Distances used:...

, where he twice won a bronze medal overall. In 1961 in Gothenburg

Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

 he finished behind his compatriot Henk van der Grift

Henk van der Grift

Hendrik van der Grift is a former speed skater.Henk van der Grift participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics. On the 500 m, he finished 10th and he fell on the 1,500 m. Not satisfied with training facilities in the Netherlands, he lived in Norway for a while, working as a car mechanic...

 and the Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n Viktor Kosichkin

Viktor Kosichkin

Viktor Ivanovich Kosichkin is a former speed skater who competed for the Soviet Union.Viktor Kosichkin trained at Dynamo. He participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. On the 5,000 m, held on his 22nd birthday, he gave himself a great birthday gift by winning gold, while the...

, while in 1964 in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

 he followed the Norwegian Knut Johannesen

Knut Johannesen

Knut Johannesen is a former speed skater from Norway.-Biography:Born in Oslo and representing the skating club ASK there, Johannesen won the World Allround Championships in 1957 and 1964, the European Allround Championships in 1959 and 1960, and won the Norwegian...

 and Viktor Kosichkin, again. At the 1964 Winter Olympics

Speed skating at the 1964 Winter Olympics

At the 1964 Winter Olympics, eight speed skating events were contested. The competitions were held from Thursday, January 30 to Sunday, February 2, 1964 and from Tuesday, February 4 to Friday, February 7, 1964 ....

 in Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

 he missed out on medals, finishing 10th at the 1500m, 8th at the 5000m, and a close 4th at the 10,000m.

In 1965 at the Bislett stadion

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...

 in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 he broke the world record on the 3000m

World record progression 3,000 m speed skating men

The World record progression 3,000 m speed skating men as recognised by the International Skating Union:-See also:* List of speed skating records* World record progression 500 m speed skating men* World record progression 1,000 m speed skating men...

.

Rudie Liebrechts also was a reasonably successful cyclist at the national level; in 1965 he won the tour of Gouda

Gouda

Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....

.

World records

Distance	Result	Date	Location
3000 m	4:26.8	25 February 1965	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...

Sources

• Rudie Liebrechts at SkateResults.com
• From the bike on the ice Biography in Dutch.
• www.sportstatistieken.nl (Dutch)