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Gerard van Velde

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gerard van Velde
Personal information
Born (1971-11-30) 30 November 1971 (age 52)[1]
Wapenveld, Netherlands[1]
Height1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight87 kg (192 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryNetherlands
SportSpeed skating
Turned pro1990
Retired2008
Medal record
Men's speed skating
Representing the  Netherlands
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City 1000 m
World Sprint Championships
Silver medal – second place 2003 Calgary Sprint
World Single Distance Championships
Silver medal – second place 2003 Berlin 1000 m

Gerard Pieter Hendrik van Velde (born 30 November 1971) is a Dutch retired speed skater who specialised in sprinting. He won an Olympic gold medal in 2002.

Biography

[edit]

Van Velde was considered the best Dutch sprinter during the early 1990s, but did not manage to win a medal in either the 1992 or 1994 Winter Olympics. Particularly frustrating were the 1992 Games, where he missed a bronze medal by one-hundredth of a second.

During the late 1990s, clap skates became standard in Olympic competition. Van Velde had such difficulty adjusting to the techniques required with these new skates that he retired from skating and became a car salesman. However, he was not finished with the skating world.

Rintje Ritsma, another Dutch skater invited Van Velde to be his training partner, and, during training, he mastered the clap skate techniques. He decided to try out for the 2002 Winter Olympics, in spite of the arrival of a new generation of Dutch sprinters such as Jan Bos, Erben Wennemars and Jakko Jan Leeuwangh. Van Velde became the fourth sprinter to qualify for the games.

In Salt Lake City, he started before all the other favorites and raced to a world record finish. His time of 1:07.18 shaved more than half a second from the previous best world time, and more than a second from his personal best. The skaters who followed were unable to best him, and he won the gold medal.

In December 2005, at the Dutch Olympic trials in Heerenveen, van Velde failed to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. In retirement he became a coach.[1]

Records

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Personal records

[edit]
Personal records
Men's speed skating
Event Result Date Location Notes
500 m 34.59 6 February 2003 Calgary
1000 m 1:07.18 16 February 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic record
1500 m 1:48.53 26 September 2004 Calgary
3000 m 4:02.18 30 November 2004 Calgary

Source: SpeedskatingResults.com[2]

World records

[edit]
Event Result Date Location Notes
1000 m 1:07.18 16 February 2002 United States Salt Lake City World record until 20 November 2005

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[3]

Tournament overview

[edit]

Season
Dutch
Championships
Single
Distances
Dutch
Championships
Sprint
Olympic
Games
World
Championships
Single
Distances
World
Championships
Sprint
World
Cup
GWC

1989–90
HEERENVEEN

16th 500m
17e 1000m
ASSEN

10th 500m
10th 1000m
6th 500m
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1000m
8th overall

1990–91
THE HAGUE

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
10 th1500m
INZELL

20th 500m
10th 1000m
16th 500m
17th 1000m
15th overall

1991–92
HEERENVEEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
HEERENVEEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) overall
ALBERTVILLE

5th 500m
4th 1000m
OSLO

9th 500m
16th 1000m
6th 500m
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1000m
6th overall

1992–93
DEVENTER

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1000m
UTRECHT

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
5th 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) overall
IKAHO

18th 500m
9th 1000m
15th 500m
8th 1000m
11th overall

1993–94
HEERENVEEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
12th 1500m
THE HAGUE

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
13th 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
13th overall
LILLEHAMMAR

21st 500m
9th 1000m
CALGARY

15h 500m
5th 1000m
17th 500m
33rd 1000m
30th overall

1994–95
THE HAGUE

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
ALKMAAR

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) overall
MILWAUKEE

17th 500m
4th 1000m
11th 500m
5th 1000m
10th overall

1995–96
GRONINGEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
ASSEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) overall
HAMAR

10th 500m
4th 1000m
HEERENVEEN

36th 500m
4th 1000m
25th 500m
10th 1000m
33rd overall

13th 500m
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1000m

1996–97
GRONINGEN

2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) overall
WARSAW

18th 500m
6th 1000m
HAMAR

12th 500m
10th 1000m
13th 500m
8th 1000m
11th overall

15th 500m
6th 1000m

1997–98
HEERENVEEN

4th 500m
7th 1000m
GRONINGEN

7th 500m
7th 1000m
7th 500m
10th 1000m
6th overall
CALGARY

NS2 500m

44th 500m
23rd 1000m
1998–99

1999–2000
DEVENTER

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 500m
5th 1000m
UTRECHT

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
4th 500m
4th 1000m
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) overall
NAGANO

19th 500m
SEOUL

22nd 500m
19th 1000m
20th 500m
23rd 1000m
21st overall

32nd 500m
37th 1000m

2000–01
THE HAGUE

7th 500m
12th 1000m
19th 1500m
HEERENVEEN

2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
5th 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) overall
SALT LAKE CITY

11th 500m
5th 500m
INZELL

11th 500m
4th 1000m
9th 500m
5th 1000m
7th overall

19th 500m
14th 1000m

2001–02
HEERENVEEN

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
7th 1500m
GRONINGEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) overall
SALT LAKE CITY

4th 500m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 1000m
HAMAR

7th 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
5th 500m
5th 1000m
4th overall

5th 500m
9th 1000m

2002–03
UTRECHT

2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
8th 1500m
GRONINGEN

2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
DNF 1000m
NC overall
BERLIN

4th 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
CALGARY

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) overall

4th 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m

2003–04
HEERENVEEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
UTRECHT

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) overall
SEOUL

8th 500m
NF 1000m
NAGANO

7th 500m
6th 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
4th overall

27th 100m
7th 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m

2004–05
ASSEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
6th 1000m
14th 1500m
GRONINGEN

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
4th 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1000m
1st place, gold medalist(s) overall
INZELL

10th 500m
SALT LAKE CITY

1st place, gold medalist(s) 500m
DNS 1000m
DNS 500m
DNS 1000m
NC overall

11th 500m
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1000m

2005–06
HEERENVEEN

5th 500m
6th 1000m
ASSEN

2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
5th 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) overall
HEERENVEEN

9th 500m
10th 1000m
9th 500m
11th 1000m
6th overall

9th 500m
7th 1000m

2006–07
ASSEN

4th 500m
9th 1000m
GRONINGEN

4th 500m
6th 1000m
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 500m
6th 1000m
4th overall
HAMAR

15h 500m
14th 1000m
DNS 500m
DNS 1000m
NC overall

15th 500m

2007–08
HEERENVEEN

8th 500m
13th 1000m
12th 500m
11th 1000m
10th overall

2008–09
GRONINGEN

5th 500m
4th 1000m
6th 500m
4th 1000m
6th overall

Source:[4]

DQ = Disqualified
DNF = Did not finish
DNS = Did not start
NC = No classification

Medals won

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Championship Gold
1st place, gold medalist(s)
Silver
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Bronze
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Dutch Single Distances 12 5 3
Dutch Sprint 6 4 1
Olympic Games 1 0 0
World Single Distances 0 1 0
World Sprint 0 1 0

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Gerard van Velde". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Gerard van Velde". SpeedskatingResults.com. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Gerard van Velde". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Skater Profile | Gerard van Velde | Men | Netherlands".
[edit]
Awards
Preceded by Ard Schenk Award
2001
Succeeded by