Henk van der Grift
Encyclopedia
Hendrik van der Grift (born 25 December 1935 in Breukelen
, the Netherlands
) is a former speed skater
.
Henk van der Grift participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics
. On the 500 m, he finished 10th and he fell on the 1,500 m. Not satisfied with training facilities in the Netherlands, he lived in Norway
for a while, working as a car mechanic. The superior training facilities in Norway paid off and Van der Grift won silver at the 1961 European Allround Championships
behind Olympic Champion Viktor Kosichkin
. This was the first Dutch medal in international championships in eight years and it made Van der Grift one of the favourites for the World Allround Championships.
And Van der Grift delivered: In what turned out to be his greatest year, he became the 1961 World Allround Champion
in Gothenburg
. On the 500 m during those championships, he finished second behind Soviet sprinter Yevgeny Grishin
. He then lost many points on the 5,000 m, but he overcame that deficit by winning the 1,500 m. On the final distance (the 10,000 m), he seemed to be losing his lead, surrendering one second each lap to Viktor Kosichkin
. But Van der Grift managed to skate his final two laps fast enough to retain his lead, narrowly edging out Kosichkin by a margin of just 0.162 points (equivalent to 3.24 seconds of difference on the 10,000 m).
His victory made Van der Grift the first Dutch World Allround Champion in more than 55 years – Coen de Koning
had been the last in 1905. As a result of his victory, he was elected Dutch Sportsman of the year
(a title shared with Judo
giant Anton Geesink
) and he received the 1961 Oscar Mathisen Award
.
In 1962, Van der Grift became Dutch Allround Champion, but he did not manage to successfully defend his World Champion title that year – after three of the four distances, Van der Grift was in second place behind Boris Stenin
, but despite Stenin's bad result on the final distance and Van der Grift overtaking Stenin, Van der Grift still finished second behind Kosichkin. The following season, he fell ill and ended his speed skating career.
Breukelen
Breukelen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is situated to the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and touristic interest...
, the Netherlands
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...
) is a 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...
.
Henk van der Grift participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
. On the 500 m, he finished 10th and he fell on the 1,500 m. Not satisfied with training facilities in the Netherlands, he lived in 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...
for a while, working as a car mechanic. The superior training facilities in Norway paid off and Van der Grift won silver at the 1961 European Allround Championships
European Speed Skating Championships
The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The...
behind Olympic Champion Viktor Kosichkin
Viktor Kosichkin
Viktor Ivanovich Kosichkin is a former speed skater who competed for the Soviet Union.Viktor Kosichkin trained at Dynamo. He participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. On the 5,000 m, held on his 22nd birthday, he gave himself a great birthday gift by winning gold, while the...
. This was the first Dutch medal in international championships in eight years and it made Van der Grift one of the favourites for the World Allround Championships.
And Van der Grift delivered: In what turned out to be his greatest year, he became the 1961 World Allround Champion
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. On the 500 m during those championships, he finished second behind Soviet sprinter Yevgeny Grishin
Yevgeny Grishin
Yevgeny Romanovich Grishin was a Soviet/Russian speedskater. Grishin trained for the largest part of his speedskating career at CSKA Moscow...
. He then lost many points on the 5,000 m, but he overcame that deficit by winning the 1,500 m. On the final distance (the 10,000 m), he seemed to be losing his lead, surrendering one second each lap to Viktor Kosichkin
Viktor Kosichkin
Viktor Ivanovich Kosichkin is a former speed skater who competed for the Soviet Union.Viktor Kosichkin trained at Dynamo. He participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. On the 5,000 m, held on his 22nd birthday, he gave himself a great birthday gift by winning gold, while the...
. But Van der Grift managed to skate his final two laps fast enough to retain his lead, narrowly edging out Kosichkin by a margin of just 0.162 points (equivalent to 3.24 seconds of difference on the 10,000 m).
His victory made Van der Grift the first Dutch World Allround Champion in more than 55 years – Coen de Koning
Coen de Koning
Coen de Koning was the second Dutch speed skating World Champion.Born in Edam, North Holland, Netherlands, he won the speed skating title in his only World Championship competition in 1905 in Groningen , Groningen , Netherlands...
had been the last in 1905. As a result of his victory, he was elected Dutch Sportsman of the year
Dutch Sportsman of the year
The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year are chosen annually by Dutch athletes from a shortlist compiled by sports journalists. The elections are organized by the Dutch Olympic Committee.- Sporter of the Year :...
(a title shared with Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
giant Anton Geesink
Anton Geesink
Antonius "Anton" Johannes Geesink was a Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a three-time World Judo Champion , Olympic Gold Medalist and won 21 European championships...
) and he received the 1961 Oscar Mathisen Award
Oscar Mathisen Award
Since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Award is awarded annually for outstanding speed skating performance of the season...
.
In 1962, Van der Grift became Dutch Allround Champion, but he did not manage to successfully defend his World Champion title that year – after three of the four distances, Van der Grift was in second place behind Boris Stenin
Boris Stenin
Boris Andrianovich Stenin was a Soviet speed skater, speed skating coach, and speed skating scientist.Living in Sverdlovsk, Stenin met and married fellow skater Valentina Stenina during the early days of his speed skating career...
, but despite Stenin's bad result on the final distance and Van der Grift overtaking Stenin, Van der Grift still finished second behind Kosichkin. The following season, he fell ill and ended his speed skating career.