Schenk, Ard

Ard Schenk, byname of Adrianus Schenk, (born September 16, 1944, Anna Paulowna, Netherlands), Dutch speed skater who in 1972 won three gold medals in the Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan. He was the first skater to win the 500-, 1,500-, 5,000- and 10,000-metre races at the world championships in a single year (1972).

Schenk was the son of a former national skating coach and began international competition in 1964. He won his first European championship in 1966 and was world 1,500-metre champion (1967 and 1970–72), world 5,000-metre champion (1971–72), and world 10,000-metre champion (1971–72). At the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France, Schenk won a silver medal in the 1,500-metre event. Four years later he dominated the Olympic competition, winning handily in the 1,500-, 5,000-, and 10,000-metre races. He was denied a sweep of the men’s speed-skating events, however, when he fell after only four steps in the 500-metre race.

In 1973 Schenk became the star attraction of a new professional speed-skating league, and he won various titles before the venture folded in 1974. He retired shortly thereafter.