Hans van Helden

Hans van Helden (born 27 April 1948) is a former speed skater, originally competing for the Netherlands, later for France.

Despite being a very talented speed skater and having an excellent skating style and technique, Van Helden never won any major international tournaments.

Being the then-current world record holder on the 5,000 m, he "only" finished 3rd on that distance during the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, possibly because the ice was in much worse condition during his race than it was when his major rivals (Sten Stensen and Piet Kleine) ran theirs.

[1] One of his most memorable feats was finishing 4th on the 1,500 m during the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, aged 35, and well ahead of his former compatriots, Dutchmen Hilbert van der Duim, Frits Schalij, and Hein Vergeer.

[1] Van Helden was number one on the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, from 13 March 1976 to 25 December 1976 – a total of 287 days.

Hans van Helden with physical trainer Henk Gemser in 1975
Hans van Helden in 1977