Erben Wennemars
Encyclopedia
Egbert Rolf Wennemars (born November 1, 1975 in Dalfsen
, Overijssel
) is a Dutch
former speed skater
. He specialized in the sprint and middle distances of 500, 1000 and 1500 meters.
During the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano where Wennemars was qualified for the 500, 1000 and 1500 m, he dislocated his shoulder when Grunde Njøs
from Norway
fell and collided with Wennemars during the second 500 m race. Wennemars was not able to participate in the other distances after that.
Wennemars achieved his first big success in 2003 during the World Single Distance Championships
in Berlin
by winning the gold medal at the 1000 m and 1500 m. One year later he became world champion sprint
in Nagano. In 2005 he defended his world sprint title successfully in Salt Lake City.
Wennemars qualified for the 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and the team pursuit events at the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
. His teammates for the team pursuit were Sven Kramer
, Carl Verheijen
, Mark Tuitert
and Rintje Ritsma
.
In 2003 Wennemars was chosen as athlete of the year in the Netherlands and in 2003, 2004 and 2005 as Dutch skater of the year. After failing to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics
he announced his farewell from competitive skating. On January 11, 2010, Erben Wennemars officially retired as a speed-skating professional.
Dalfsen
Dalfsen is a municipality and a town in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel.The present municipality of Dalfsen was created on 1 January 2001 through the merger of the municipalities of Nieuwleusen and Dalfsen....
, Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
) is a 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...
former speed skater
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
. He specialized in the sprint and middle distances of 500, 1000 and 1500 meters.
Speed skating career
Erben Wennemars was the first skater who skated the 1500 m faster than 1:50.00. His 1:49.89 in the summer of 1997 however, was not regarded as an official world record.During the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano where Wennemars was qualified for the 500, 1000 and 1500 m, he dislocated his shoulder when Grunde Njøs
Grunde Njøs
Grunde Njøs is a Norwegian speed skater, born in Trondheim. He competed in the 500 m and 1,000 m at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.-References:...
from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
fell and collided with Wennemars during the second 500 m race. Wennemars was not able to participate in the other distances after that.
Wennemars achieved his first big success in 2003 during the World Single Distance Championships
World Single Distance Championships
The World Single Distance Championships are a series of speed skating competitions organised by the International Skating Union.-History:Since the late 19th century, speed skating championships were always decided by racing multiple distances – four different distances for the allround...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
by winning the gold medal at the 1000 m and 1500 m. One year later he became world champion sprint
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men
The International Skating Union has organised the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1970. The first two years , they were called the ISU Sprint Championships.-Medal winners:-All-time medal count:- References :*...
in Nagano. In 2005 he defended his world sprint title successfully in Salt Lake City.
Wennemars qualified for the 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and the team pursuit events at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. His teammates for the team pursuit were Sven Kramer
Sven Kramer
Sven Kramer is a Dutch long track speed skater. He is the Olympic champion of the 5000 meter in Vancouver 2010, and four-time European and World Allround Champion. He is also three-time world champion and world record holder in the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the team pursuit...
, Carl Verheijen
Carl Verheijen
Carl Eduard Verheijen was a Dutch speedskater specializing in the longer distances 5,000-m and the 10,000-m. Verheijen is the son of skater Eddy Verheijen and has a relation with retired skater Andrea Nuyt in Leusden. They have a daughter...
, Mark Tuitert
Mark Tuitert
Mark Tuitert ; born April 4, 1980 in Holten, Overijssel) is a Dutch speed skater. He won gold at the 1500m sprint at the 2010 Winter Olympics.-Personal life:Tuitert married fellow Dutch speed skater Helen van Goozen in 2009...
and Rintje Ritsma
Rintje Ritsma
Robert Rintje Ritsma is a former Dutch long track speed skater. His nickname is the Beer van Lemmer, which translates to the Bear from Lemmer.-Speed skating career:He has won the World Allround Championships 4 times...
.
In 2003 Wennemars was chosen as athlete of the year in the Netherlands and in 2003, 2004 and 2005 as Dutch skater of the year. After failing to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
he announced his farewell from competitive skating. On January 11, 2010, Erben Wennemars officially retired as a speed-skating professional.
Personal life
Wennemars is married to TV-presenter Renate van der Zalm, with whom he has two sons: Joep and Niels.Personal records
Medals
| Championship |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch Single Distance Championships KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships The Dutch Single Distance Championships of speed skating, organised by the KNSB, is the official Dutch championship to determine the Dutch champion over a single distance, in contrast to the KNSB Dutch Allround Championships, which determine the Dutch allround champion... |
10 | 11 | 9 |
| Dutch Sprint Championships | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Dutch Allround Championships KNSB Dutch Allround Championships The national Dutch Allround speedskating championships are first held in 1901 for man and since 1955 for women-Men's Allround:Source: -Women's Allround:Source: -References:NotesBibliography... |
0 | 0 | 1 |
| Winter Olympics Speed skating at the Winter Olympics Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:... |
0 | 0 | 2 |
| World Single Distance Championships World Single Distance Championships for Men The International Skating Union has organised the World Single Distance Championships for Men since 1996.-Locations:* 1996 Hamar, Norway* 1997 Warsaw, Poland* 1998 Calgary, Canada* 1999 Heerenveen, Netherlands* 2000 Nagano, Japan... |
5 | 2 | 3 |
| World Allround 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:... |
0 | 0 | 0 |
| World Sprint Championships World Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men The International Skating Union has organised the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1970. The first two years , they were called the ISU Sprint Championships.-Medal winners:-All-time medal count:- References :*... |
2 | 0 | 2 |