Schenk, Ard

▪ Dutch athlete

byname of  Adrianus Schenk  

born September 16, 1944, Anna Paulowna, Netherlands

      Dutch speed skater who in 1972 won three gold medals in the Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan. He became the first skater to win the 500-, 1,500-, 5,000- and 10,000-metre races at the world championships in a single year (1972).

      In Sapporo, Schenk dominated the Olympic competition, winning handily in the 1,500-, 5,000-, and 10,000-metre races. He was denied a sweep of the men's speed-skating events, however, when he fell after only four steps in the 500-metre race.

      Schenk was the son of a former national skating coach and began international competition in 1964. He won his first European championship in 1966 and was world 1,500-metre champion (1967 and 1970–72), world 5,000-metre champion (1971–72), and world 10,000-metre champion (1971–72). As a professional from 1973, he won many European and world championships.

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