Jacques Keyser

Born in France to Dutch father and a Belgian mother Jacques Keyser competed for both France and the Netherlands in long-distance running. At the French championships Keyser won five consecutive titles in cross-country running from 1910 to 1914. At the 1913 International Cross Country Championships held in Juvisy-sur-Orge he won an individual bronze and a team silver for France. Earlier he had represented the Pro Patria in Rotterdam where he earned a place on the Dutch Olympic team for the 1908 London Games, with him running in both the 1,500 metres and the five miles. In the early 1910s Keyser set Dutch records in the 1,500 metres, the mile, and the 5,000 metres, with all of them standing for more than a decade. In 1914 he became the Dutch champion in the 1,500 metres before his sporting career was ended with the outbreak of World War I.

Personal Best: 1500 – 4:04.8 (1913).