Ard Schenk

Ard Schenk

Ard Schenk in 2006
Personal information
Born	16 September 1944 (1944-09-16) Anna Paulowna, Netherlands
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Turned pro	1973
Retired	1974
Medal record Men's speed skating Competitor for the Netherlands Olympic Games Gold 1972 Sapporo 1500 m Gold 1972 Sapporo 5000 m Gold 1972 Sapporo 10000 m Silver 1968 Grenoble 1500 m World Championships Gold 1970 Oslo Allround Gold 1971 Gothenburg Allround Gold 1972 Oslo Allround Silver 1966 Gothenburg Allround Silver 1967 Oslo Allround Bronze 1965 Oslo Allround Bronze 1968 Gothenburg Allround Bronze 1971 Inzell Sprint Bronze 1972 Eskilstuna Sprint European Championships Gold 1966 Deventer Allround Gold 1970 Innsbruck Allround Gold 1972 Davos Allround Silver 1971 Heerenveen Allround

Adrianus "Ard" Schenk (born 16 September 1944, Anna Paulowna, North Holland) 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.

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 Games 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.

Ard Schenk in 1965

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).

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	3	1	0
World Allround Championships	3	2	2
World Sprint Championships	0	0	2
European Allround	3	1	0
Dutch Allround	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
3000 m	4:26.2	29 January 1966	Inzell
1500 m	2:05.3	30 January 1966	Inzell
3000 m	4:18.4	25 February 1967	Inzell
1000 m	1:20.6	28 February 1967	Inzell
1000 m	1:20.6	5 February 1968	Davos
3000 m	4:12.6	15 January 1971	Davos
1500 m	1:58.7	16 January 1971	Davos
Big combination	171.317	31 January 1971	Oslo
10000 m	15:01.6	14 February 1971	Gothenburg
Big combination	171.130	14 February 1971	Gothenburg
1000 m	1:18.8	20 February 1971	Inzell
5000 m	7:12.0	13 March 1971	Inzell
10000 m	14:55.9	14 March 1971	Inzell
Big combination	168.248	14 March 1971	Inzell
3000 m	4:08.3	2 March 1972	Inzell
5000 m	7:09.8	4 March 1972	Inzell
Big combination	167.420	5 March 1972	Inzell

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	38.46	38.46
1000 m	1:18.8	20 February 1971	Inzell	1:19.2	1:19.2
1500 m	1:58.7	16 January 1971	Davos	2:01.9	2:01.9
3000 m	4:08.3	2 March 1972	Inzell	4:12.6	4:15.7
5000 m	7:09.8	4 March 1972	Inzell	7:12.0	7.13.2
10000 m	14:55.9	14 March 1971	Inzell	15:01.6	15:03.6
Big combination	167.420	5 March 1972	Inzell	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.

See also

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games

References

Bibliography

• Bal, Rien and Van Dijk, Rob. Schaatskampioenen, alles over het seizoen 68-69 (Speedskating Champions, all about the season 68-69) . Amsterdam, the Netherlands: N.V. Het Parool, 1969. (Dutch)
• Eng, Trond. All Time International Championships, Complete Results: 1889 - 2002. Askim, Norway: WSSSA-Skøytenytt, 2002.
• Froger, Fred R. Topsporters: Ard Schenk * Kees Verkerk (Elite Athletes: Ard Schenk * Kees Verkerk). Bussum, the Netherlands: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 1967. (Dutch)
• ___________ Winnaars op de schaats (Victors on Skates), Een Parool Sportpocket. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: N.V. Het Parool, 1968. (Dutch)
• Koomen, Theo. 10 Jaar Topschaatsen (10 Years Elite Speedskating). Laren (NH), the Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1971. ISBN 90-245-0114-8. (Dutch)
• _________ Topschaatsen 1972 (Elite Speedskating 1972). Laren (NH), the Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1972. ISBN 90-245-0152-0. (Dutch)
• _________ Topschaatsen 3 (Elite Speedskating 3). Laren (NH), the Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1973. ISBN 90-245-0194-6. (Dutch)
• Maaskant, Piet. Flitsende Ijzers, De geschiedenis van de schaatssport (Flashing Blades, the History of Dutch Speedskating). Zwolle, the Netherlands: La Rivière & Voorhoeve, 1967 (Second revised and expanded edition). (Dutch)
• _________ Heya, Heya! Het nieuwe boek van de Schaatssport (Heya, Heya! The New book of Dutch Speedskating). Zwolle, the Netherlands: La Rivière & Voorhoeve, 1970. (Dutch)
• Peereboom, Klaas. Van Jaap Eden tot Ard Schenk (From Jaap Eden till Ard Schenk). Baarn, the Netherlands: De Boekerij, 1972. ISBN 90-225-0346-1. (Dutch)
• Schenk, Ard and Racké, Fred. Ard Apart, mijn groei naar de top (Ard on his own, his growth to the Top). Alkmaar, the Netherlands: Verenigde Noordhollandse Dagbladen, 1971. (Dutch)
• Teigen, Magne. Komplette Resultater Internasjonale Mesterskap 1889 - 1989: Menn/Kvinner, Senior/Junior, allround/sprint. Veggli, Norway: WSSSA-Skøytenytt, 1989. (Norwegian)
• Van Eyle, Wim. Een Eeuw Nederlandse Schaatssport (A Century of Dutch Speedskating). Utrecht, the Netherlans: Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, 1982. ISBN 90-274-9476-2. (Dutch)
• Witkamp, Anton and Koning, Dolf (eds.). Schaatsgoud '72 (Speedskating Gold '72). Bussum, the Netherlands: Teleboek NV, 1972. ISBN 90-6122-204-4. (Dutch)

External links

• Ard Schenk at SkateResults.com
• Ard Schenk at DESG.de (German)
• Short biography from Evert Stenlund's Adelskalender pages

Awards
Preceded by Anton Geesink	Dutch Sportsman of the Year with Kees Verkerk 1966	Succeeded by Kees Verkerk
Preceded by Tom Okker	Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1970 to 1972	Succeeded by Johan Cruijff
Preceded by Dag Fornæss	Oscar Mathisen Award 1970–1972	Succeeded by Göran Claeson