Cockie van der Elst

Cockie van der Elst emerged as one of the talented Dutch skaters in the early 1950s, and was selected for the national team. In an era of mostly natural ice, this allowed him to train abroad in countries with better ice guarantees, such as Switzerland and Norway. Having a disposition towards the shorter distances, Van der Elst did not feature in many international championships, with the 1952 Olympics as the sole exception. In Oslo, he ranked 19th (500 m) and 26th (1,500 m). The Rotterdam-born Van der Elst also featured in two country matches, one versus Sweden and once in “Norway vs. Rest of the World”. In national competition, he won second place in the 1954 Dutch allround championships (winning the 500 m). That same year, he also placed 3rd in the 1,500 m at the Jonkheer van Karnebeek challenge cup, a competition between the Dutch national team skaters.

Following his retirement after the 1955 season, Van der Elst remained involved in speed skating, as a coach, official and administrator. He also worked as a civil servant at the Dutch Postal, Telegraph and Telephone agency. His grandson, Bram van der Elst, has competed internationally in judo on a junior level.

Personal Bests: 500 – 44.5 (1952); 1500 – 2:21.3 (1952); 5000 – 8:59.0 (1952); 10000 – 19:50.7 (1954).