Elly van Hulst
Encyclopedia
Elisa Maria van Hulst (born June 9, 1959 in Culemborg
, Gelderland
) is a former middle distance runner
from the Netherlands
, who competed for her native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984.
As a former ballerina
, Van Hulst started her athletics career at the age of eleven. She was trained by Theo Kersten in Leeuwarden, whom she later married. Van Hulst won a total of 65 Dutch national championships during her career. In 1989 she ran a world indoor record on the 3000 metres
at the 1989 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
. At the end of the year she was named Dutch Sportswoman of the Year
for that performance.
Her first sport was jazz ballet
, but because of her height this was not a big success. At age 11 she started athletics together with her older brother. She really enjoyed it and was already pretty good at it. When she was in high school, she moved from Maastricht
to Leeuwarden. She was trained by Theo Kersten. Together they started working on a long term plan, which put her sports career into high gear. Although her trainer was 13 years older, they got involved into a romantic relationship, and later got married.
Elly van Hulst's career would last for almost twenty years. In this time she became a 65 times national champion, a three times European champion and twofold world champion. On the 3000 m indoor she held the world record for twelve years with a time of 8 minutes 33.82 seconds, which even today is a world class achievement. She participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
and the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
. At the end of the 1980s
Van Hulst showed that she was among the best athletes in the world. In 1988 she defeated Mary Decker
, favorite for the 3000 m victory in Zurich
.
In 1990 Van Hulst began having strange physical complaints and was tired frequently. Doctors were unable to find anything that caused her symptoms, and so she kept on running. Eventually Van Hulst could not participate in the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona
, because she was in the hospital for medical tests. It was discovered that she had a serious viral infection, and had had it for two years.
As a result of the viral infection she got exercise-induced asthma
. However, because her asthma was easily controlled, her career was apparently unaffected. Just before the European Championships in 1994 in Paris
, she heard that one of the ingredients of her medication was on the list of banned substances. A permitted alternative was not effective. As a result she ended up in ninth place in Paris. Two years later, the ingredient in question was found to be harmless and was removed from the list of banned substances, but this change came too late for Van Hulst. She was not able to participate in the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta.
During her successful years Van Hulst trained in the Algarve in Portugal
. She loved this place and later, when her career had ended, moved there. Nowadays she has a real estate business with her husband, Theo Kersten: Elly van Hulst Real Estate Lda.
World Championships
World Record
Dutch Records
Culemborg
Culemborg is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands. The city is situated just south of the Lek River...
, Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
) is a former middle distance runner
Middle distance track event
Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...
from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, who competed for her native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984.
As a former ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
, Van Hulst started her athletics career at the age of eleven. She was trained by Theo Kersten in Leeuwarden, whom she later married. Van Hulst won a total of 65 Dutch national championships during her career. In 1989 she ran a world indoor record on the 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
at the 1989 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
1989 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 20th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1989.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...
. At the end of the year she was named Dutch Sportswoman of the Year
Dutch Sportsman of the year
The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year are chosen annually by Dutch athletes from a shortlist compiled by sports journalists. The elections are organized by the Dutch Olympic Committee.- Sporter of the Year :...
for that performance.
Her first sport was jazz ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, but because of her height this was not a big success. At age 11 she started athletics together with her older brother. She really enjoyed it and was already pretty good at it. When she was in high school, she moved from Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
to Leeuwarden. She was trained by Theo Kersten. Together they started working on a long term plan, which put her sports career into high gear. Although her trainer was 13 years older, they got involved into a romantic relationship, and later got married.
Elly van Hulst's career would last for almost twenty years. In this time she became a 65 times national champion, a three times European champion and twofold world champion. On the 3000 m indoor she held the world record for twelve years with a time of 8 minutes 33.82 seconds, which even today is a world class achievement. She participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. At the end of the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
Van Hulst showed that she was among the best athletes in the world. In 1988 she defeated Mary Decker
Mary Decker
Mary Slaney is an American former track athlete. During her career, she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships, and set 17 official and unofficial world records and 36 US national records.-Biography:Mary Decker was born in Bunnvale, Hunterdon County, New...
, favorite for the 3000 m victory in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.
In 1990 Van Hulst began having strange physical complaints and was tired frequently. Doctors were unable to find anything that caused her symptoms, and so she kept on running. Eventually Van Hulst could not participate in the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, because she was in the hospital for medical tests. It was discovered that she had a serious viral infection, and had had it for two years.
As a result of the viral infection she got exercise-induced asthma
Exercise-induced asthma
Exercise-induced asthma, or E.I.A., is a medical condition characterized by shortness of breath induced by sustained aerobic exercise. It shares many features with other types of asthma, and responds to some typical asthma medications, but does not appear to be caused by the same inflammatory...
. However, because her asthma was easily controlled, her career was apparently unaffected. Just before the European Championships in 1994 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, she heard that one of the ingredients of her medication was on the list of banned substances. A permitted alternative was not effective. As a result she ended up in ninth place in Paris. Two years later, the ingredient in question was found to be harmless and was removed from the list of banned substances, but this change came too late for Van Hulst. She was not able to participate in the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta.
During her successful years Van Hulst trained in the Algarve in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. She loved this place and later, when her career had ended, moved there. Nowadays she has a real estate business with her husband, Theo Kersten: Elly van Hulst Real Estate Lda.
Results
European Championships- 1984 — Gothenburg 1500 meter indoor Silver
- 1987 — Lieven 3000 meter indoor Silver
- 1988 — Budapest 3000 meter indoor Gold
- 1989 — The Hague 3000 meter indoor Gold
- 1990 — Glasgow 3000 meter indoor Gold
World Championships
- 1985 — Paris 1500 meter indoor Gold
- 1989 — Budapest 3000 meter indoor Gold
World Record
- March 4, 1989 — Budapest 3000 meter indoor: 8 min 33.82 sec
Dutch Records
- 1987 — Rome, 1500 meter: 4 min 03.63 sec
- 1986 — Brussels, mile: 4 min 22.40 sec
- 1988 — Zürich, 3000 meter: 8 min 33.97 sec
External links
- http://www.property-runner.com