Originally a football player, Tinus Osendarp started sprinting for fun, and was discovered as a talent. His first success came in 1934, when he placed third in the 200 m at the inaugural European Championships, won by compatriot Chris Berger. Osendarp finished fifth in the 100 metres and won a second bronze medal in 4×100 metres relay (with Tjeerd Boersma, Chris Berger, and the non-Olympian Robert Jansen). In 1936, Osendarp won two bronze medals at the Berlin Olympics behind America’s black sprinters, and was often billed as “the world’s fastest white man”. A third medal was possible in the 4×100 m relay, but Osendarp dropped the baton at the last exchange. He increased his popularity by winning both the 100 and the 200 at the 1938 European Championships in Paris. Working as a policeman in The Hague, Osendarp joined the NSB (the Dutch National Socialist Party) in 1941, and the SS in 1943. Working for the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), he was involved with arrests of various resistance fighters. In 1948, Osendarp was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but he was allowed to work in the coal mines to support his family. He was released early in 1953, but kept working in the mines, unable and unwilling to return to his previous job. He also returned to track and field as a coach for local clubs in Maastricht and Kerkrade.
Personal Bests: 100 – 10.4 (1936); 200 – 21.1 (1936).
Netherlands