Atje Keulen-Deelstra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Atje Keulen-Deelstra

Personal information
Born	(1938-12-31)31 December 1938 Grou, Netherlands
Died	22 February 2013(2013-02-22) (aged 74) Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Sport	Speed skating
Medal record Women's speed skating Representing  Netherlands Olympic Games Silver 1972 Sapporo 1,000 m Bronze 1972 Sapporo 1,500 m Bronze 1972 Sapporo 3,000 m World Allround Championships Gold 1970 West-Allis Allround Gold 1972 Heerenveen Allround Gold 1973 Strömsund Allround Gold 1974 Heerenveen Allround World Sprint Championships Bronze 1970 West-Allis Sprint Silver 1973 Oslo Sprint Silver 1974 Innsbruck Sprint European Championships Gold 1972 Inzell Allround Gold 1973 Brandbu Allround Gold 1974 Alma-Ata Allround Dutch Allround championships Gold 1970 Allround Gold 1972 Allround Gold 1973 Allround Gold 1974 Allround Silver 1971 Allround Dutch Marathon Championships Gold 1975 Artificial Ice Gold 1976 Artificial Ice Gold 1977 Artificial Ice Gold 1978 Artificial Ice Gold 1980 Artificial Ice

Atje Keulen-Deelstra was a famous Dutch speed skater. She was born on December 31, 1938, and passed away on February 22, 2013. She became a four-time World Allround Champion when she was between 32 and 36 years old. This means she was the best all-around skater in the world several times!

Her Life and Skating Career

Atje Deelstra grew up as the oldest of four children in a farmer's family. As a teenager, she tried different sports like gymnastics, athletics, and basketball. But in the end, she chose speed skating.

Early Skating Days

When she was just 16, Atje won a junior title in Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. She also won several cash prizes across the country. In 1962, she married Jelle Keulen, a farmer. They had three children between 1963 and 1966.

Making a Comeback

In 1967, a new ice arena called Thialf opened in Heerenveen. Atje Keulen-Deelstra decided to train there and make a comeback in skating. Even though she was told she was too old, she quickly improved a lot.

In 1970, at 32 years old, she won the Dutch Allround Championships. She beat younger, well-known skaters like Ans Schut and multiple world champion Stien Kaiser. That same year, she became the World Allround Champion.

Olympic and World Success

More amazing wins followed for Atje. In 1972, she became the Dutch, European, and World Allround Champion. She repeated this incredible achievement in 1973 and 1974.

At the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, she won three Olympic medals:

• One silver medal in the 1,000 meter race.
• Two bronze medals in the 1,500 meter and 3,000 meter races.

Marathon Skating and Later Life

In 1975, Keulen-Deelstra switched to marathon skating. This is a longer distance form of speed skating. She became the Dutch Champion in marathon skating five times! She won her last Dutch Marathon Championships title in 1980 when she was 42 years old.

In 1997, after being in a traffic accident, Atje still took part in the Elfstedentocht. This is a very famous long-distance ice skating tour in the Netherlands. Atje Keulen-Deelstra passed away in 2013.

Her Daughter, Boukje

Atje's daughter, Boukje Keulen (born in 1963), also became a successful speed skater in the 1980s and early 1990s. Like her mother, Boukje skated in different types of speed skating, from short track to long track and then to marathon skating.

Medals She Won

Here is a summary of the medals Atje Keulen-Deelstra won at major championships:

She also won gold medals in the Dutch National Kortebaan Speed Skating Championships in 1969, 1976, and 1977.

World Records

During her career, Atje Keulen-Deelstra set two world records: