Koen Verweij facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Koen Verweij

Koen Verweij (EC Allround 2009)
Personal information
Born	(1990-08-26) 26 August 1990 (age 34) Alkmaar, Netherlands
Height	182 cm
Weight	83 kg
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Sport	Speed skating
Turned pro	2007
Medal record Men's speed skating Representing  Netherlands Olympic Games Gold 2014 Sochi Team pursuit Silver 2014 Sochi 1500 m Bronze 2018 Pyeongchang Mass start Bronze 2018 Pyeongchang Team pursuit World Allround Championships Gold 2014 Heerenveen Allround Bronze 2012 Moscow Allround World Single Distance Championships Gold 2012 Heerenveen Team pursuit Gold 2013 Sochi Team pursuit Gold 2015 Heerenveen Team pursuit Bronze 2011 Inzell Team pursuit Bronze 2015 Heerenveen 1500 m European Allround Championships Silver 2014 Hamar Allround Silver 2015 Chelyabinsk Allround Bronze 2011 Collalbo Allround European Single Distance Championships Bronze 2018 Kolomna 1500 m

Koen Verweij is a former Dutch speed skater. He was born on August 26, 1990. Koen also competed in inline speed skating.

In 2008, he joined the TVM commercial skating team. He held the Dutch national record for the 1500-meter race from 2017 to 2019.

Koen Verweij's Skating Journey

Koen Verweij started his professional skating career early. On December 30, 2007, he skated his first 10-kilometer race. This was at the Dutch all-round championships in Groningen. He finished fifth overall. This amazing result meant he was a reserve skater for the European all-round championship. It was a big deal because he was still a junior skater. He even skated faster times than famous skater Sven Kramer did at the same age.

Junior Successes

Later in that same season, Koen went to the World Junior Championships in Changchun. He won a silver medal there. His teammates Jan Blokhuijsen and Berden de Vries took gold and bronze. It was the first time since 1997 that skaters from the same country won all three medals.

At the 2009 Dutch all-round championships, Koen finished fourth. This was partly because he greatly improved his personal best time in the 10-kilometer race. He then qualified for the European all-round championships. Even after falling in the 500-meter race, he still finished 12th overall.

His best junior year was crowned with a big win at the World Junior Skating Championships. He won the 3000-meter, 5000-meter, and the overall all-round title. He also won the team pursuit event. Because of these great results, he received the Egbert van't Oever Encouragement award. This award is for the best young Dutch skater.

Olympic Achievements

At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Koen Verweij won a silver medal in the 1500-meter event. He was incredibly close to gold, finishing just 0.003 seconds behind Zbigniew Bródka. He also won a gold medal in the team pursuit event at the same Olympics.

In 2018, at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Koen added two bronze medals to his collection. He won bronze in the mass start event and another bronze in the team pursuit.

In July 2015, he announced that he was leaving Team Corendon after one season.

Skating Records and Best Times

Speed skaters keep track of their best times, called personal records. They also try to set world records, which are the fastest times ever recorded in certain events.

Personal Best Times

Here are Koen Verweij's fastest times in different speed skating distances:

• 500 meters: 35.64 seconds (set on February 12, 2011, in Calgary)
• 1000 meters: 1:06.94 (set on December 10, 2017, in Salt Lake City)
• 1500 meters: 1:41.63 (set on December 9, 2017, in Salt Lake City). This was a Dutch national record for a while.
• 3000 meters: 3:42.86 (set on February 25, 2017, in Inzell)
• 5000 meters: 6:09.51 (set on November 10, 2013, in Calgary)
• 10000 meters: 13:08.97 (set on February 13, 2011, in Calgary)

Koen Verweij was ranked 5th in the Adelskalender on November 15, 2013. The Adelskalender is a ranking system for all-round speed skaters.

World Records

Koen Verweij also helped set world records in the team pursuit event:

These records were set with his teammates Sven Kramer and Jan Blokhuijsen.

Medals Won by Koen Verweij

Koen Verweij has won many medals throughout his career in different championships:

Championship	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Olympic Games	1	1	2
Dutch Single Distances	2	3	3
Dutch Allround	7	5	8
European Allround	2	5	2
World Single Distances	1	5	2
World Allround	3	0	2
World Cup	14	3	7
World Junior	8	3	4

See also

In Spanish: Koen Verweij para niños