Adriaan Walter Brokke (22 October 1928 – 25 March 2011), commonly known as Jani Brokke was an Aruban athlete who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games. He represented Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles in teams of football, basketball, baseball and tennis.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Adriaan Walter Brokke | ||
Date of birth | 22 October 1928 | ||
Date of death | (aged 82) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
SV Racing Club Aruba | |||
International career | |||
1950-1953 |
Netherlands Antilles national football team | ||
1952 |
Netherlands Antilles national baseball team | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Sports career
editAs a forward footballer, he represented the Netherlands Antilles in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics.[1] He won gold with the Netherlands Antilles team (under the Curaçao Football Association) at the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games and participated in the 1953 CCCF Championship.[2][3]
In the football match of Aruba vs. Botafogo (3-1), in August 1952, Brokke scored the first goal when he took a penalty.[4] He played for Aruba when they hosted and won a football series, in February 1953, at his home Wilhelmina Stadium, between Aruba, Surinam, British Guiana and a dirty playing professional club La Salle F.C. from Venezuela.[5]
Brokke played for SV Racing Club Aruba, football, tennis as well as basketball.[6][7][8] In each of the sports he won Aruban championships.[9]
In August 1952 Brokke, baseball player of Nesbitt, was selected to be a reserve on the Netherlands Antilles national baseball team that played at the 1952 Amateur World Series in Havana, Cuba in September.[10]
At the opening of the Wilhelminastadion in Oranjestad, Aruba, in 1952, Brokke took the athlete's oath.[11]
Lago Sport Park Board
editBrokke worked for the Eagle Refinery on the west side of the island, until the close down of operations towards the end of 1953. He thereafter took employment with the Lago company. In November 1954 Brokke got elected into the Lago Sport Park Board. The announcement of the election results mentioned that Brokke was 'regarded as Aruba's most popular all-round sportsman.'[12]
Personal life
editIn 1958 Brokke married Rika Veger (Aruba, March 7, 1936). They had two children.[13]
Jani's brother Pedro played for RCA as well and in the same football team.[6]
Singer and Aruban TV-presenter Jossy Brokke Jr. is a nephew of Jani and Pedro.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Olympic Players, Helsinki Bound". Aruba Esso News on Coleccion Aruba, Biblioteca Nacional Aruba. 6 June 1952. Group photo of the seven Aruban footballers in the Olympic team.
- ^ "Adriaan Brokke". Olympedia. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Adriaan Brokke Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^ "Oncena Arubano a derrota Botafago cu un score di 3-1". Arubaanse Courant on Internet Archive (in Papiamento). 11 August 1952.
- ^ "Football: Aruba Wins Interland Series". The Local on Internet Archive. 14 February 1953. Pages 5 to
- ^ a b "Voetbal van het weekend: RCA wint met basketball-cijfers van San Nicolas Jrs". Arubaanse Courant on Internet Archive (in Dutch). 24 November 1952. (11-2)
- ^ "Nieuw leven in de R.C.A.-tennis afdeling geblazen". Arubaanse Courant on Internet Archive (in Dutch). 11 August 1952.
- ^ "E campeonnan di trofeo Crosley a gana den wega pa presentacion". Arubaanse Courant on Internet Archive (in Papiamento). 25 April 1955. RCA in 1955 basketball champions (with team photo)
- ^ "Brokke sweeps honors in tennis tournament". 13 July 1957. Brokke won the men's, double and mixed-double championships.
- ^ "Baseball: ABBA selects team". The Local on Internet Archive. 23 August 1952.
- ^ "Governor Struycken Opens Wilhelmina Stadium, Opening Of Aruba's First Stadium Witnessed by 4000". Aruba Esso News on Coleccion Aruba, Biblioteca Nacional Aruba. 25 April 1952. Pages 1-3, including the text of the oath and a photograph.
- ^ "Sport Election". The Local on Internet Archive. 6 November 1954.
- ^ "Na memoria di un gran deportista Arubano, Jani Brokke..." Awe Mainta on Internet Archive (in Papiamento). 30 March 2011.