Yvonne Maria Therèse van Gennip (born 1 May 1964) is one of the most successful female Dutch all-round speed skaters. Her main success dates from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where she unexpectedly won three gold medals. She was the most successful athlete at the 1988 Winter Olympics, along with Matti Nykänen of Finland.[1]
 Yvonne van Gennip (1987) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1 May 1964 Haarlem, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Speed skating | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | IJsclub Haarlem | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1983 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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After she had injured her foot, and had surgery less than two months before the games, the East German women were heavily favoured to win the distances over 500 meters. But Van Gennip smashed the world record by almost five seconds to win the 3000 metres, beat her personal record by almost 4 seconds to win the 1500 metres, and was almost seven seconds faster than her own world record time to win the 5000 metres as well.
Van Gennip participated in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville as well, but did not win a medal. She won a silver medal in the 1988 World Speed Skating Championships, and bronze medals in the 1987 and 1989 World Championships.
Early life
editVan Gennip was born on 1 May 1964 in Haarlem, the daughter of Johannes Gerardus van Gennip (22 April 1922 – 30 September 1999) and Reina Elisabeth Mettes (20 May 1924 – 15 March 2013).[2]
She married bank director Gert van Kuijk on 15 August 2002 in Zandvoort, the couple divorced in 2009. Since 2010 she has been in a relationship with Jaap de Groot, lead editor for sports for De Telegraaf.[3][4][5]
Records
editPersonal records
edit| Personal records[6] | ||||
| Women's speed skating | ||||
| Event | Result | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 41.54 | 19 March 1987 | Thialf, Heerenveen | |
| 1000 m | 1:21.21 | 12 February 1989 | Olympic Oval, Calgary | |
| 1500 m | 2:00.68 | 27 February 1988 | Olympic Oval, Calgary | |
| 3000 m | 4:11.94 | 23 February 1988 | Olympic Oval, Calgary | |
| 5000 m | 7:14.13 | 28 February 1988 | Olympic Oval, Calgary | |
| 10000 m | 15:25.25 | 19 March 1988 | Thialf, Heerenveen | |
World records
edit| Distance | Time | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 m | 4:16.85 | 19 March 1987 | Thialf, Heerenveen |
| 5000 m | 7:20.35 | 20 March 1987 | Thialf, Heerenveen |
| 3000 m | 4:11.94 | 23 February 1988 | Olympic Oval, Calgary |
| 5000 m | 7:14.13 | 28 February 1988 | Olympic Oval, Calgary |
Achievements
edit
| Olympic Games | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 11th | Sarajevo | YUG | 9 Feb | 1984 |
| 1000 m | 6th | Sarajevo | YUG | 13 Feb | 1984 |
| 3000 m | 5th | Sarajevo | YUG | 15 Feb | 1984 |
| 3000 m | Gold | Calgary | CAN | 23 Feb | 1988 |
| 1500 m | Gold | Calgary | CAN | 27 Feb | 1988 |
| 5000 m | Gold | Calgary | CAN | 28 Feb | 1988 |
| 1500 m | NF | Albertville | FRA | 12 Feb | 1992 |
| 3000 m | 6th | Albertville | FRA | 9 Feb | 1992 |
| 5000 m | NS | Albertville | FRA | 17 Feb | 1992 |
| World Allround Championships | |||||
| 1984 | 12th | Deventer | NED | 29 Jan. | 1984 |
| 1985 | 4th | Sarajevo | YUG | 10 Feb. | 1985 |
| 1986 | 4th | The Hague | NED | 9 Feb. | 1986 |
| 1987 | Bronze | West Allis | U.S. | 8 Feb. | 1987 |
| 1988 | Silver | Skien | NOR | 13 Mar. | 1988 |
| 1989 | Bronze | Lake Placid | U.S. | 5 Feb. | 1989 |
| 1991 | 5th | Hamar | NOR | 3 Feb. | 1991 |
| World Sprint Championships | |||||
| 1982 | 4th | Alkmaar | NED | 7 Feb. | 1982 |
| 1983 | 25th | Helsinki | FIN | 27 Feb. | 1983 |
| 1984 | 14th | Trondheim | NOR | 4 Mar. | 1984 |
| 1987 | 10th | Sainte Foy | CAN | 1 Feb. | 1987 |
| European Allround Championships | |||||
| 1984 | 11th | Medeo | URS | 15 Jan. | 1984 |
| 1985 | Silver | Groningen | NED | 13 Jan. | 1985 |
| 1986 | Silver | Geithus | NOR | 12 Jan. | 1986 |
| 1987 | Silver | Groningen | NED | 18 Jan. | 1987 |
| 1988 | Bronze | Kongsberg | NOR | 17 Jan. | 1988 |
| 1989 | 5th | West Berlin | — | 15 Jan. | 1989 |
| 1991 | Bronze | Sarajevo | YUG | 20 Jan. | 1991 |
| 1992 | 4th | Heerenveen | NED | 19 Jan. | 1992 |
| World Junior Allround Championships | |||||
| 1981 | Bronze | Elverum | NOR | 1 Mar. | 1981 |
| 1982 | Silver | Innsbruck | AUT | 28 Feb. | 1982 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Yvonne van Gennip". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ "Haarlem – RK begraafplaats St. Barbara – - graf 1078816".
- ^ "Interview met Olympische kampioen Yvonne van Gennip".
- ^ "Tillo Behaeghe – Genealogische site – Persoonsblad".
- ^ "De Telegraaf-i [] Privé – Warme trouwdag voor ijskoningin".
- ^ "Yvonne van Gennip". speedskatingresults.com. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
External links
edit
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