Atje Keulen-Deelstra (31 December 1938 – 22 February 2013) was a Dutch speed skater, who was a four-time World Allround Champion between the age of 32 and 36.[1]

Atje Keulen-Deelstra
Personal information
Born(1938-12-31)31 December 1938
Grou, Netherlands
Died22 February 2013(2013-02-22) (aged 74)
Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
CountryNetherlands
SportSpeed skating
Medal record
Women's speed skating
Representing  Netherlands
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1972 Sapporo 1,000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Sapporo 1,500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Sapporo 3,000 m
World Allround Championships
Gold medal – first place 1970 West-Allis Allround
Gold medal – first place 1972 Heerenveen Allround
Gold medal – first place 1973 Strömsund Allround
Gold medal – first place 1974 Heerenveen Allround
World Sprint Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1970 West-Allis Sprint
Silver medal – second place 1973 Oslo Sprint
Silver medal – second place 1974 Innsbruck Sprint
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1972 Inzell Allround
Gold medal – first place 1973 Brandbu Allround
Gold medal – first place 1974 Alma-Ata Allround
Dutch Allround championships
Gold medal – first place 1970 Allround
Gold medal – first place 1972 Allround
Gold medal – first place 1973 Allround
Gold medal – first place 1974 Allround
Silver medal – second place 1971 Allround
Dutch Marathon Championships
Gold medal – first place 1975 Artificial Ice
Gold medal – first place 1976 Artificial Ice
Gold medal – first place 1977 Artificial Ice
Gold medal – first place 1978 Artificial Ice
Gold medal – first place 1980 Artificial Ice

Biography

edit

Atje Deelstra was born as the eldest of four siblings in a farmer's family. As a teenager she did gymnastics, athletics and basketball, but finally chose speed skating.[2] At the age of 16, she already won a junior title of Friesland and several cash prizes in the Netherlands. In 1962, she married Jelle Keulen (23 November 1931 – 28 July 2011), a farmer with whom she had three children born between 1963 and 1966.[3][2][4]

When the Thialf arena opened in 1967 in Heerenveen, Keulen-Deelstra went there to work on a comeback. She quickly made much progress, but she was told over and over again that she was too old. Not a member of the Dutch speed skating team, she won the Dutch Allround Championships in 1970 at the age of 32, beating Dutch skating team members such as Ans Schut and multiple world champion Stien Kaiser. That same year, she became World Allround Champion. More successes soon followed when in 1972, she became Dutch, European, and World Allround Champion, a feat she then repeated the following two years (1973 and 1974). In addition, at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, she won one silver and two bronze medals.[1]

In 1975, Keulen-Deelstra switched to marathon skating and she became Dutch Champion in that discipline five times. She won her last Dutch Marathon Championships title in 1980 when she was 42 years old. In 1997, just a few weeks after having been injured in a traffic accident, Keulen-Deelstra participated in the Elfstedentocht. She died of a cerebral infarction in 2013.[4]

In the 1980s and early 1990s, her daughter Boukje Keulen (born 2 December 1963) also was a successful skater. Like her mother, Boukje went from short track through long track ("regular") to marathon speed skating.[1]

Medals

edit

An overview of medals won by Keulen-Deelstra at important championships she participated in, listing the years in which she won each:

Championships Gold medal Silver medal Bronze medal
Winter Olympics 1972 (1,000 m) 1972 (1,500 m)
1972 (3,000 m)
World Allround 1970
1972
1973
1974
World Sprint 1973
1974
1970
European Allround 1972
1973
1974
Dutch Allround 1970
1972
1973
1974
1971

Dutch National Kortebaan Speed Skating Championships -   1969, 1976, 1977

World records

edit

Over the course of her career, Keulen-Deelstra skated 2 world records:

Distance Result Date Location
1,500 m 2:17.2 14 March 1970 Inzell
Mini combination 182.805 16 January 1972 Inzell

References

edit
 
Atje Keulen-Deelstra with husband and son in 1972

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b c Atje Keulen-Deelstra. sports-reference.com
  2. ^ a b Atje Keulen-Deelstra (74) overleden. frieschdagblad.nl. 23 February 2013
  3. ^ Overlijdensbericht Jelle Keulen. Leeuwarder Courant. 30 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b Atje Keulen-Deelstra (74) overleden. nos.nl. 23 February 2013

Bibliography

edit
  • Bijlsma, Hedman with Tom Dekkers; Alex Dumas; Gé du Maine and Karel Verbeek. Schaatsseizoen '72–'73, deel 1: heren. Leusden, the Netherlands, September 1973.
  • Bijlsma, Hedman with Tom Dekkers; Alex Dumas; Gé du Maine and Karel Verbeek. Schaatsseizoen '72–'73, deel 2: dames. Leusden, the Netherlands, November 1973.
  • Bijlsma, Hedman with Tom Dekkers; Alex Dumas; Gé du Maine; Hans Niezen and Karel Verbeek. Schaatsseizoen '73–'74: Statistische terugblik. Leusden, the Netherlands, November 1974.
  • Bijlsma, Hedman with Tom Dekkers; Arie van Erk; Gé du Maine; Hans Niezen; Nol Terwindt and Karel Verbeek. Schaatsseizoen '96–'97: 25e Jaargang 1996–1997, statistische terugblik. Assen, the Netherlands: Stichting Schaatsseizoen, 1997. ISSN 0922-9582.
  • Eng, Trond. All Time International Championships, Complete Results: 1889 – 2002. Askim, Norway: WSSSA-Skøytenytt, 2002.
  • Fan der Fear, Ypk. Us Atsje (West Frisian). Buitenpost, Friesland, Netherlands: Uitgeverij Alternatyf, 1974.
  • Koomen, Theo. 10 Jaar Topschaatsen. Laren(NH), Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1971. ISBN 90-245-0114-8.
  • Koomen, Theo. Topschaatsen 1972. Laren(NH), Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1972. ISBN 90-245-0152-0.
  • Koomen, Theo. Topschaatsen 3. Laren(NH), Netherlands: Uitgeverij Luitingh, 1973. ISBN 90-245-0194-6.
  • Kleine, Jan. Schaatsjaarboek 1968/69, alles over het hardrijden op de lange baan. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Drukkerij Dico, 1968.
  • Kleine, Jan. Schaatsjaarboek 1969–'70, alles over het hardrijden op de lange baan. Ede, Netherlands, 1969.
  • Kleine, Jan. Schaatsjaarboek 1970–'71, alles over het hardrijden op de lange baan. Nijmegen, Netherlands, Schaatsjaarboek, 1970.
  • Kleine, Jan. Schaatsjaarboek 1971–'72, alles over het hardrijden op de lange baan. Nijmegen, Netherlands, Schaatsjaarboek, 1971.
  • Kleine, Jan. Schaatsjaarboek 1972–'73, alles over het hardrijden op de lange baan. Nijmegen, Netherlands, Schaatsjaarboek, 1972.
  • Maaskant, Piet. Atje Keulen-Deelstra vertelt exclusief haar story. Zwolle, Netherlands: La Rivière & Voorhoeve, 1970.
  • Maaskant, Piet. Heya, Heya! Het nieuwe boek van de Schaatssport. Zwolle, Netherlands: La Rivière & Voorhoeve, 1970.
  • Peereboom, Klaas. Van Jaap Eden tot Ard Schenk. Baarn, Netherlands: De Boekerij, 1972. ISBN 90-225-0346-1.
  • Teigen, Magne. Komplette Resultater Internasjonale Mesterskap 1889 – 1989: Menn/Kvinner, Senior/Junior, allround/sprint. Veggli, Norway: WSSSA-Skøytenytt, 1989. (Noors)
  • Van Eyle, Wim. Een Eeuw Nederlandse Schaatssport. Utrecht, Netherlands: Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, 1982. ISBN 90-274-9476-2.
  • Witkamp, Anton and Koning, Dolf (red.). Schaatsgoud '72. Bussum, Netherlands: Teleboek NV, 1972. ISBN 90-6122-204-4.
edit
Awards
Preceded by Dutch Sportswoman of the Year
1970
Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Netherlands
Sapporo 1972
Succeeded by