Kees Verkerk
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games • Other |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Cornelis Arie "Kees"•Verkerk |
| Used name | Kees•Verkerk |
| Born | 28 October 1942 in Maasdam, Zuid-Holland (NED) |
| Measurements | 171 cm / 71 kg |
| Affiliations | Puttershoek |
| NOC |  Netherlands |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 1 |
| Silver | 3 |
| Bronze | 0 |
| Total | 4 |
Biography
Kees Verkerk and Ard Schenk formed the top speed skating duo in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Verkerk won all available titles, taking the European allround gold in 1967, the World Championships in 1966 and 1967 and won Olympic gold in the 1500 m in Grenoble, having won a surprise silver in the same distance four years earlier. In 1966 and 1967, he won the Oscar Mathisen Trophy for the best speed skating performance of the season, and Verkerk broke four World Records between 1967 and 1970. A four-time Dutch champion, Verkerk closed out his amateur career with a silver medal in the Olympic 10k of Sapporo. He then joined Schenk in a professional league, but the adventure ended in 1974 without much success for Verkerk. After a brief period as coach of the Swedish team, Verkerk focused on managing his own camp site in Norway, where he had lived since 1972.
Personal Bests: 500 – 39.9 (1971); 1000 – 1:21.4 (1971); 1500 – 1:58.9 (1971); 5000 – 7:13.2 (1969); 10000 – 15:03.6 (1969).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 Winter Olympics | Speed Skating (Skating) | NED |
Kees Verkerk | |||
| 1,500 metres, Men (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 5,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 9 | |||||
| 10,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 16 | |||||
| 1968 Winter Olympics | Speed Skating (Skating) | NED |
Kees Verkerk | |||
| 500 metres, Men (Olympic) | =33 | |||||
| 1,500 metres, Men (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 5,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 10,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 5 | |||||
| 1972 Winter Olympics | Speed Skating (Skating) | NED |
Kees Verkerk | |||
| 1,500 metres, Men (Olympic) | 8 | |||||
| 5,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 6 | |||||
| 10,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 2 | Silver |
Olympic Records
Records may have been broken subsequently during the same competition.| Games | Date | Sport | Event | Phase | Mark | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Winter Olympics | 15 February 1968 | Speed Skating (Skating) | 5,000 metres, Men | Final Standings | 7:23.2 WR | 2 |
| 1968 Winter Olympics | 16 February 1968 | Speed Skating (Skating) | 1,500 metres, Men | Final Standings | 2:03.4 | 1 |
| 1972 Winter Olympics | 7 February 1972 | Speed Skating (Skating) | 10,000 metres, Men | Final Standings | 15:04.70 | 2 |
Other participations
| Games | Role | NOC | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 Winter Olympics | Flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony | NED |
Kees Verkerk |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Led the Adelskalender (speed skating) (Allround – 28 February 1967 - 5 February 1968 and 6 February 1968 - 13 February 1971: 174.720 (28 February 1967; Inzell, FRG), 174.420 (3 February 1968; Davos, SUI), 173.086 (6 February 1968; Davos, SUI), 172.746 (15 February 1968; Grenoble, FRA), 172.681 (17 February 1968; Grenoble, FRA), 171.951 (9 March 1968; Inzell, FRG), 171.691 (10 March 1968; Inzell, FRG), 170.436 (26 January 1969; Inzell, FRG), 170.236 (9 February 1969; Davos, SUI), 169.566 (1 March 1969; Inzell, FRG), 169.533 (8 March 1970; Inzell, FRG), 169.033 (15 January 1971; Davos, SUI), 168.033 (16 January 1971; Davos, SUI))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Speed Skating (1500 m – 26 February 1967 - 5 February 1968 and 9 February 1969 - 16 January 1971: 2:03.9 (26 February 1967; Inzell, FRG), 2:02.0 (9 February 1969; Davos, SUI), 2:01.9 (8 March 1970; Inzell, FRG); 5000 m – 26 February 1967 - 7 January 1968 and 1 March 1969 - 13 March 1971: 7:26.6 (26 February 1967; Inzell, FRG), 7:13.2 (1 March 1969; Inzell, FRG); 10000 m – 26 January 1969 - 14 February 1971: 15:03.6 (26 January 1969; Inzell, FRG); Big Combination – 12 February 1967 - 14 January 1968 and 10 March 1968 - 2 March 1969: 178.058 (11/12 February 1967; Oslo, NOR), 172.058 (9/10 March 1968; Inzell, FRG))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Speed Skating Championships (1–2–1 1966 Deventer silver: Allround; 1967 Lahti gold: Allround; 1969 Inzell silver: Allround; 1971 Heerenveen bronze: Allround)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships (2–0–3 1966 Göteborg gold: Allround; 1967 Oslo gold: Allround; 1969 Deventer bronze: Allround; 1970 Oslo bronze: Allround; 1971 Göteborg bronze: Allround)
- Listed in Olympians Who Were Elected Dutch Athlete of the Year (1966, 1967)
- Listed in Olympians Who Were Awarded the Oscarstatuetten (Oscar Mathisen Award) (1966, 1967)