Kees Verkerk

Kees Verkerk

Verkerk in 1968
Personal information
Birth name	Cornelis Arie Verkerk
Nationality	Dutch
Born	(1942-10-28) 28 October 1942 Maasdam, Netherlands
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	71 kg (157 lb)
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Sport	Speed skating
Club	Puttershoek
Turned pro	1964
Retired	1972
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	500 m: 39.9 (1971) 1000 m: 1:21.4 (1971) 1500 m: 1:58.9 (1971) 3000 m: 4:14.9 (1972) 5000 m: 7:13.2 (1969) 10 000 m: 15:03.6 (1969)
Medal record Men's speed skating Representing Netherlands Olympic Games 1968 Grenoble 1500 m 1964 Innsbruck 1500 m 1968 Grenoble 5000 m 1972 Sapporo 10,000 m World Allround Championships 1966 Gothenburg Allround 1967 Oslo Allround 1969 Deventer Allround 1970 Oslo Allround 1971 Gothenburg Allround European Allround Championships 1966 Deventer Allround 1967 Lahti Allround 1969 Inzell Allround 1971 Heerenveen Allround

Cornelis Arie "Kees" Verkerk (born 28 October 1942) is a former speed skater from the Netherlands.

Short biography

Kees Verkerk was World Allround Champion in 1966 and 1967, and European Allround Champion in 1967. He won an Olympic gold medal on the 1,500 m in 1968 and a silver medal on the 5,000 m. Four years earlier (in 1964), he had won Olympic silver on the 1,500 m. In 1972, he won Olympic silver on the 10,000 m. Nationally, he won four Allround titles in 1966, 1967, 1969 and 1972. As a result of his performances, he received the Oscar Mathisen Award in 1966 and 1967, the first skater to win this award twice, although until 1967, skaters were not eligible to win it more than once.

In 1973, together with Ard Schenk and a dozen other skaters, Verkerk joined in a newly formed professional league, but this lasted only two years. The end of this professional league also marked the end of Verkerk's career as a speed skater. Later, he was coach of the Swedish team. Verkerk met his future Norwegian wife in 1972 and has lived in Norway since his speed skating career ended.

World records

Over the course of his career, Verkerk skated eight world records:

Discipline	Result	Date	Location	Note
Big combination	178.058	12 February 1967	Oslo	World record until 14 January 1968
1500 m	2:03.9	26 February 1967	Inzell	World record until 5 February 1968
5000 m	7:26.6	26 February 1967	Inzell	World record until 7 January 1968
Big combination	172.058	10 March 1968	Inzell	World record until 2 March 1969
10000 m	15:03.6	26 January 1969	Inzell	World record until 14 February 1971
1500 m	2:02.0	9 February 1969	Davos	World record until 8 March 1970
5000 m	7:13.2	1 March 1969	Inzell	World record until 13 March 1971
1500 m	2:01.9	8 March 1970	Inzell	World record until 16 January 1971

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Personal records

Kees Verkerk with father at the 1968 Olympics

Personal records
Discipline	Result	Date	Location	Note
500m	39.9	15 January 1971	Davos
1,000m	1:21.4	19 January 1971	Davos
1,500m	1:58.9	16 January 1971	Davos
3,000m	4:14.9	2 March 1972	Inzell
5,000m	7:13.2	1 March 1969	Inzell
10,000m	15:03.6	26 January 1969	Inzell
Big combination	171.520	23 January 1972	Davos

Verkerk has an Adelskalender score of 168.033 points. Except for two days in February 1968, he was number one on the Adelskalender from 28 February 1967 until 5 February 1971 – a total of 1444 days. The Adelskalender is an all-time allround speed skating ranking.

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Tournament overview

Season	Dutch Championships Allround	European Championships Allround	Olympic Games	World Championships Allround	ISSL European Championships Allround	ISSL World Championships Allround
1962–63	GRONINGEN 12th 500m 5000m 4th 1500m 4th 10000m 4th overall
1963–64		OSLO 21st 500m 10th 5000m 15th 1500m 8th 10000m 12th overall	INNSBRUCK 1500m 9th 5000m 16th 10000m	HELSINKI 28th 500m 13th 5000m 20th 1500m 12th 10000m 11th overall
1964–65	AMSTERDAM 8th 500m 5000m 4th 1500m 10000m overall	GOTHENBURG 13th 500m 4th 5000m 8th 1500m 4th 10000m 8th overall		OSLO 14th 500m 4th 5000m 19th 1500m 13th 10000m 10th overall
1965–66	DEVENTER 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall	DEVENTER 4th 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall		GOTHENBURG 20th 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall
1966–67	AMSTERDAM 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall	LAHTI 4th 500m 5000m 1500m 3000m• overall		OSLO 9th 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall
1967–68	AMSTERDAM 9th 500m 9th 5000m 1500m 7th 10000m 4th overall	OSLO 11th 500m 7th 5000m 9th 1500m 7th 10000m 8th overall	GRENOBLE 33rd 500m 1500m 5000m 5th 10000m	GOTHENBURG 9th 500m 5000m 5th 1500m 6th 10000m 4th overall
1968–69	HEERENVEEN 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall	INZELL 6th 500m 10th 5000m 1500m 10000m overall		DEVENTER 22nd 500m 5000m 1500m 4th 10000m overall
1969–70		INNSBRUCK 11th 500m 5000m 10th 1500m 4th 10000m 7th overall		OSLO 10th 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall
1970–71	AMSTERDAM 4th 500m 8th 5000m 1500m 5th 10000m 4th overall	HEERENVEEN 16th 500m 5th 5000m 4th 1500m 10000m overall		GOTHENBURG 12th 500m 5000m 10th 1500m 10000m overall
1971–72	DEVENTER 500m 4th 5000m 1500m 10000m overall	DAVOS 13th 500m 5000m 7th 1500m 10000m 4th overall	SAPPORO 8th 1500m 6th 5000m 10000m	OSLO 20th 500m 6th 5000m 9th 1500m 5th 10000m 6th overall
1972–73					SKIEN 7th 500m 5000m 7th 1500m 10000m 5th overall	GOTHENBURG 7th 500m 5000m 5th 1500m 5th 10000m 6th overall
1973–74					TYNSET 500m 4th 5000m 1500m 10000m overall

• ISSL= International Speed Skating League

source:

Medals won

Championship	Gold	Silver	Bronze
European Allround Classification	1	2	1
Olympic Games	1	3	0
World Allround Classification	2	0	3
International Speed Skating League	0	0	1

References

Verkerk at the European Championships in 1967

Notes

Bibliography

• Bal, Rien and Van Dijk, Rob. Schaatskampioenen, alles over het seizoen 68–69 (Speedskating Champions, all about the season 68–69) . Amsterdam, the Netherlands: N.V. Het Parool, 1969. (Dutch)
• Bestebreurtje, Ger. Heya Keessie – Verkerk vertelt. Deventer, the Netherlands: Uitgeverij N.Kluwer N.V., 1969.
• Eng, Trond. All Time International Championships, Complete Results: 1889 – 2002. Askim, Norway: WSSSA-Skøytenytt, 2002.
• Froger, Fred R. Topsporters: Ard Schenk * Kees Verkerk (Elite Athletes: Ard Schenk * Kees Verkerk). Bussum, the Netherlands: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 1967. (Dutch)
• ___________ Winnaars op de schaats (Victors on Skates), Een Parool Sportpocket. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: N.V. Het Parool, 1968. (Dutch)
• Koomen, Theo. 10 Jaar Topschaatsen (10 Years Elite Speedskating). Laren (NH), the Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1971. ISBN 90-245-0114-8. (Dutch)
• _________ Topschaatsen 1972 (Elite Speedskating 1972). Laren (NH), the Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1972. ISBN 90-245-0152-0. (Dutch)
• _________ Topschaatsen 3 (Elite Speedskating 3). Laren (NH), the Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1973. ISBN 90-245-0194-6. (Dutch)
• Maaskant, Piet. Flitsende Ijzers, De geschiedenis van de schaatssport (Flashing Blades, the History of Dutch Speedskating). Zwolle, the Netherlands: La Rivière & Voorhoeve, 1967 (Second revised and expanded edition). (Dutch)
• _________ Heya, Heya! Het nieuwe boek van de Schaatssport (Heya, Heya! The New book of Dutch Speedskating). Zwolle, the Netherlands: La Rivière & Voorhoeve, 1970. (Dutch)
• Peereboom, Klaas. Van Jaap Eden tot Ard Schenk (From Jaap Eden till Ard Schenk). Baarn, the Netherlands: De Boekerij, 1972. ISBN 90-225-0346-1. (Dutch)
• Teigen, Magne. Komplette Resultater Internasjonale Mesterskap 1889 – 1989: Menn/Kvinner, Senior/Junior, allround/sprint. Veggli, Norway: WSSSA-Skøytenytt, 1989. (Norwegian)
• Van Eyle, Wim. Een Eeuw Nederlandse Schaatssport (A Century of Dutch Speedskating). Utrecht, the Netherlands: Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, 1982. ISBN 90-274-9476-2. (Dutch)
• Witkamp, Anton and Koning, Dolf (eds.). Schaatsgoud '72 (Speedskating Gold '72). Bussum, the Netherlands: Teleboek NV, 1972. ISBN 90-6122-204-4. (Dutch)

External links

• Kees Verkerk at SpeedSkatingStats.com
• Short biography from Evert Stenlund's Adelskalender pages at the Wayback Machine (archived May 6, 2006)
• Kees Verkerk at Olympics.com