Ard Schenk

Adrianus "Ard" Schenk (born 16 September 1944) is a former speed skater from the Netherlands. His first Olympic success came in 1968, when he won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics. Between 1970 and the 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 the Soviet Union, the most successful athlete there.

Biography

Schenk competed in international meets from 1964 on, winning his first medal at the 1965 World Championships and his first gold medal at the 1966 European Championships. He won three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Sapporo (a fall in the 500 m precluded gold in all 4 distances). That same year, 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 achieved since Ivar Ballangrud 40 years earlier, and which only Eric Heiden has repeated since (in 1979). Finally, he won bronze that year at the World Sprint Championships.

The next season (1973), he turned professional with a number of other prominent speed skaters, thereby forgoing the opportunity of winning more championships. The professional circuit lasted two seasons and Schenk retired from speed skating at 30. Schenk also won five of the six 1000 meter races at World Sprint Championship he participated in.

Records World records Schenk was the first to skate the 10,000 meters within 15 minutes, and the first skater to finish the 1500 meters in less than 2 minutes. Over the course of his career he broke a total of 18 (senior) world records, a feat no skater before or after him has bettered. Among men, the sprint specialist Jeremy Wotherspoon came closest with his 16th world record in 2007, while among women long-distance specialist Gunda Niemann equalled Schenk's mark in 2001. By March 1971, Schenk held 6 of the 7 official world records at the same time, missing only the 500 m. His 1000 m record was broken in March 1972 by Erhard Keller, but the other five stood until 1975 to 1978, when world records started to be skated at the high-altitude rink of Medeo.

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Personal records

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.

Tournament overview SeasonDutch Championships Allround ISU European Championships Allround Olympic Games ISU* World Championships Allround ISU World Championships SprintISSL* European Championships AllroundISSL World Championships Allround 1963–1964 500m 5th 5000m 1500m 9th 10000m overall INNSBRUCK 13th 1500m 9th 500m 15th 5000m 11th 1500m 13th 10000m 7th overall 1964–1965 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 500m 12th 5000m 10th 1500m 6th 10000m 5th overall 6th 500m 10th 5000m 1500m 6th 10000m overall 1965–1966 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 4th 500m 5000m 1500m 4th 10000m overall 500m 5000m 5th 1500m 4th 10000m overall 1966–1967 500m 5000m 4th 1500m 10000m overall 32nd 500m 5000m 10th 1500m 4th 10000m 15th overall 500m 5000m 1500m 4th 10000m overall 1967–1968 500m 5000m 1500m 5th 10000m overall 4th 500m 7th 5000m 10th 1500m 8th 10000m 6th overall 13th 500m 1500m 500m 8th 5000m 1500m 8th 10000m overall 1968–1969 500m 5000m 5th 1500m 5th 10000m overall 6th 500m 4th 5000m 5th 1500m 13th 10000m 4th overall 9th 500m 5000m 28th 1500m 8th 10000m 13th overall 1969–1970 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 4th 500m 5000m 1500m 5th 10000m overall 500m 5000m 1500m 4th 10000m overall 16th 500m 1000m 19th 500m 1000m 6th overall 1970–1971 500m 5000m 1500m 5th 10000m overall 500m 11th 5000m 1500m 3rd 10000m overall 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 10th 500m 1000m 11th 500m 1000m overall 1971–1972 500m 5000m 1500m 5th 10000m overall 34th 500m 1500m 5000m 10000m 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 16th 500m 1000m 16th 500m 1000m overall 1972–1973 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 1973–1974 4th 500m 8th 5000m 7th 1500m 6th 10000m 6th overall Source: ISSL = International Speed Skating League ISU = International Skating Union

Medals won ChampionshipGold Silver Bronze Dutch Allround European Allround Olympic Games World Allround World Sprint ISSL European Allround ISSL World Allround