Stien Kaiser
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| Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for  Netherlands |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Speed Skating | |||
| Bronze | 1968 Grenoble | 1,500 m | |
| Bronze | 1968 Grenoble | 3,000 m | |
| Silver | 1972 Sapporo | 1,500 m | |
| Gold | 1972 Sapporo | 3,000 m | |
Christina ("Stien") Wilhelmina Baas-Kaiser (born 20 May 1938 in Delft, Zuid-Holland) is a former speed skater from the Netherlands.
Having not been selected for the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Stien Baas-Kaiser (then Stien Kaiser) soon turned out to be the first Dutch female world class speed skater. In both 1965 and 1966, she won bronze at the World Allround Championships. After having become World Allround Champion twice (in 1967 and 1968) – and also winning her 3rd and 4th Dutch Allround Championships those years – she participated at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. Her two bronze medals – on the 1,500 m, behind Finnish skater Kaija Mustonen and Dutch compatriot Carry Geijssen, and on the 3,000 m behind compatriot Ans Schut and, once more, Kaija Mustonen – were a bit disappointing. Not she, but Geijssen (who not only won silver on the 1,500 m, but also gold on the 1,000 m) and Schut became the Dutch heroines of those Olympics.
Although she was still a formidable competitor in the years that followed, Kaiser was slightly surpassed at major championships by Atje Keulen-Deelstra, who was the same age as Kaiser. In 1972, by then married and 33 years old, Baas-Kaiser was no longer really considered to be a favourite, especially not after her disappointing 11th place at the European Allround Championships. At the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Baas-Kaiser originally was not meant to skate, but since fellow Dutch skater Trijnie Rep had disappointed on the 500 m (finishing 20th) and the 1,000 m (finishing 24th), Baas-Kaiser was given a chance on the 1,500 m and the 3,000 m. And she turned it into something beautiful: On the 1,500 m, she won silver behind Dianne Holum, but ahead of Atje Keulen-Deelstra, and on the 3,000 m two days later, she became Olympic Champion ahead of Holum and Keulen-Deelstra. She ended her skating career later that year with a silver medal at the World Allround Championships.
[edit] Medals
An overview of medals won by Baas-Kaiser at important championships she participated in, listing the years in which she won each:
| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 1972 (3,000 m) | 1972 (1,500 m) | 1968 (1,500 m) 1968 (3,000 m) |
| World Allround | 1967 1968 |
1969 1970 1971 1972 |
1965 1966 |
| World Sprint | – | – | – |
| European Allround | – | 1970 | – |
| Dutch Allround | 1964 1965 1967 1968 1969 1971 |
1970 1972 |
1966 |
[edit] World records
Over the course of her career, Baas-Kaiser skated nine world records:
| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 m | 5:04.8 | 29 January 1967 | Davos |
| 3,000 m | 4:56.8 | 5 March 1967 | Inzell |
| Mini combination | 188.634 | 5 March 1967 | Inzell |
| 3,000 m | 4:54.6 | 3 February 1968 | Davos |
| 1,000 m | 1:31.0 | 3 March 1968 | Inzell |
| 1,500 m | 2:15.8 | 15 January 1971 | Davos |
| 3,000 m | 4:46.5 | 16 January 1971 | Davos |
| 1,000 m | 1:29.0 | 16 January 1971 | Davos |
| Mini combination | 182.817 | 16 January 1971 | Davos |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ada Kok |
Dutch Sportswoman of the Year 1967 |
Succeeded by Ada Kok |
[edit] References
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