Piet Kleine
Encyclopedia
Pieter "Piet" Kleine is a former speed skater
from the Netherlands
.
in Innsbruck
, Piet Kleine became Olympic Champion on the 10,000 m, beating world record holder Sten Stensen
– who won silver – in a close race. This was a reversal of the roles in the Olympic 5,000 m (which had been held three days earlier), in which Stensen had won gold and Kleine silver. In both the 5,000 m and the 10,000 m, Dutch – later French
– speed skater Hans van Helden
(then world record holder on the 5,000 m) won bronze. Later that same year (1976), Kleine broke 4 worlds records (including Van Helden's 5,000 m world record) and also became World Allround Champion
.
Kleine participated again in the Winter Olympics
of Lake Placid
(1980), winning Olympic silver on the 10,000 m behind Eric Heiden
. He ended his career as a speed skater in 1981 and started a successful career in amateur bicycle racing
. In 1985, as a member of the Dutch national team, he finished 5th at the World Championships on the 100 km team time trial
.
In 1986, Kleine became a marathon skater. This led to some controversy in 1997 when he finished 5th in the Elfstedentocht
, but was subsequently removed from the final list of results because of a missing stamp on his stamp card. The controversy lay in the fact that, afterwards, it became clear that in the past several winners of the Elfstedentocht had missed stamps too, but were still declared the winners.
Kleine ended his skating career in 2001 and continued his profession as a postman
, a profession he had always kept alongside his sports careers. In his free time, Kleine is the leader of a team of marathon skaters.
He later coached Dan Jansen
.
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
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...
.
Short biography
At the 1976 Winter Olympics1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Piet Kleine became Olympic Champion on the 10,000 m, beating world record holder Sten Stensen
Sten Stensen
Sten Einar Stensen is a former speed skater.-Short biography:Together with Amund Sjøbrend, Kay Stenshjemmet, and Jan Egil Storholt, Sten Stensen was one of the legendary four S-es , contemporary Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s...
– who won silver – in a close race. This was a reversal of the roles in the Olympic 5,000 m (which had been held three days earlier), in which Stensen had won gold and Kleine silver. In both the 5,000 m and the 10,000 m, Dutch – later French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– speed skater Hans van Helden
Hans van Helden
Hans van Helden is a former speed skater, originally competing for the Netherlands, later for France.-Biography:...
(then world record holder on the 5,000 m) won bronze. Later that same year (1976), Kleine broke 4 worlds records (including Van Helden's 5,000 m world record) and also became World Allround Champion
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
.
Kleine participated again in the Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
of Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
(1980), winning Olympic silver on the 10,000 m behind Eric Heiden
Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
. He ended his career as a speed skater in 1981 and started a successful career in amateur bicycle racing
Bicycle racing
Bicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...
. In 1985, as a member of the Dutch national team, he finished 5th at the World Championships on the 100 km team time trial
Team time trial
A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...
.
In 1986, Kleine became a marathon skater. This led to some controversy in 1997 when he finished 5th in the Elfstedentocht
Elfstedentocht
The Elfstedentocht is the world's largest and longest speed skating competition and leisure skating tour, and is held irregularly in the province of Friesland, Netherlands.The tour, almost 200 km in length, is conducted on frozen canals, rivers and lakes between the eleven historic...
, but was subsequently removed from the final list of results because of a missing stamp on his stamp card. The controversy lay in the fact that, afterwards, it became clear that in the past several winners of the Elfstedentocht had missed stamps too, but were still declared the winners.
Kleine ended his skating career in 2001 and continued his profession as a postman
Mail carrier
A mail carrier, mailman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman , postman/postwoman , letter carrier or postie is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcel post to residences and businesses...
, a profession he had always kept alongside his sports careers. In his free time, Kleine is the leader of a team of marathon skaters.
He later coached Dan Jansen
Dan Jansen
Daniel Erwin Jansen is a former speed skater, best known for winning a gold medal in his final Olympic race after suffering through years of heartbreak. He graduated from West Allis Central High School....
.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Kleine at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics Speed skating at the Winter Olympics Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:... |
1976 (10,000 m) | 1976 (5,000 m) 1980 (10,000 m) |
|
| World Allround World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world... |
1976 | 1973 | |
| European Allround European Speed Skating Championships The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The... |
1975 | ||
| Dutch Allround KNSB Dutch Allround Championships The national Dutch Allround speedskating championships are first held in 1901 for man and since 1955 for women-Men's Allround:Source: -Women's Allround:Source: -References:NotesBibliography... |
1978 | 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1981 |
1980 |
World records
Over the course of his career, Kleine skated 4 world records:| Distance | Result | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 m | 7:04.86 | 5 March 1976 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 5,000 m | 7:02.38 | 12 March 1976 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| 10,000 m | 14:43.92 | 13 March 1976 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
165.884 | 13 March 1976 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |