Sjoukje Dijkstra

Sjoukje Rosalinde Dijkstra ( pron. Schaukie Deikstra, born January 28, 1942 in Akkrum ) is a former Dutch figure skater, which was launched in a single run. She is the Olympic champion of 1964, the World Champion from 1962 to 1964 and the European Champion from 1960 to 1964.

Career

Sjoukje Dijkstra is the daughter of Eisschnellläufers Luitzen " Lou" Dijkstra (1909 - 1964), who had participated in the 1936 Olympic Games in Garmisch -Partenkirchen. She started at the age of six years with the figure skating and was quickly recognized as a talent. The age of twelve, she participated in her first European Championship. Trained in London by Arnold Gerschwiler, the uncle of the figure skating world champion Hans Gerschwiler, they began from then on, with her slightly older compatriot Joan Haan Appel, to continuously improve. After they had become second at the national championships behind Haanappel four times, she won in 1959 their first national championship before its competitor. It was the first of six national championships in a row. That same year she also won her first international medals. At the European Championships in Davos, she became vice European champion behind the Austrian Hanna Walter and at the World Championships in Colorado Springs, she won the bronze medal behind Carol Heiss and Walter. A year later, in the Olympic 1960, Dijkstra won her first major international title. At the European Championships in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, she was European champion before Regine Heitzer from Austria and her Dutch compatriot Haan Appel. It was the first European Championship title in figure skating for the Netherlands. At the World Championships in Vancouver was Dijkstra World runner-up behind Carol Heiss. The same scenario she experienced at the Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, when she won the silver medal behind the seemingly invincible U.S. citizen. It was already her second Olympic Games after 1956, where she had become Twelfth. Carol Heiss resigned after her Olympic victory in 1960 and their last world title and so the way was open for Dijkstra, which dominated from then on the world competition, and all the competitions they won denied. In 1961 she defended her European title in Berlin with a unanimous judges' verdict before Regine Heitzer. This year, the World Series was canceled due to the plane crash of the U.S. team. This probably cost them a world title.

1962 Dijkstra won for the third time in a row the European title, again with unanimity Regine Heitzer ( Austria ), which should still be several times their main competitor. In the same year she won her first world title - what do you just as clearly succeeded in Prague as at the European Championships, but this time in front of the Canadian Wendy Griner. It was the first gold for the Netherlands in a World Figure Skating Championship. In 1963, she was able to defend both titles. At the European Championships in Budapest she won unanimously against the Frenchwoman Nicole Hassler and at the World Championships in Cortina d' Ampezzo, before Regine Heitzer. With 1964 came her third Olympic year and it was the triumphant conclusion of their careers. First she won in Grenoble before Heitzer their fifth European title, then followed in Dortmund her third world title in a row, well this again unanimously before Heitzer and finally Dijkstra was unanimously under the eyes of the Dutch royal family from the Austrian Olympic champion in Innsbruck. Their victory marked the first Olympic gold for the Netherlands in the Winter Games.

Dijkstra's greatest strength was their duty figures, but she was also an athletic and strong Kürläuferin that could show double Axel jumps and pirouettes eingesprungene in high quality and were therefore their movements smoothly and with little effort.

After her departure from the amateur sport in 1964, she moved to the pros and toured until 1972 with Holiday On Ice. She married the circus animal trainer Karl Kossmayer. with whom she has two daughters, Rosalie and Katja. Both tried initially in figure skating, but then preferred a career in the circus. In 1985 Dijkstra was a consultant at the Dutch Skating Union. At times they commented on Dutch television.

Results

Winter Olympic Games 1959 World Figure Skating Championships 1960 World Figure Skating Championships 1962 World Figure Skating Championships 1963 World Figure Skating Championships 1964 World Figure Skating Championships 1959 European Figure Skating Championships 1960 European Figure Skating Championships 1961 European Figure Skating Championships 1962 European Figure Skating Championships 1963 European Figure Skating Championships 1964 European Figure Skating Championships Single skating 1954 European Figure Skating Championships Sabena Flight 548 Compulsory figures Glossary of ballet#P 1955 World Figure Skating Championships 1956 World Figure Skating Championships 1957 World Figure Skating Championships 1958 World Figure Skating Championships 1956 European Figure Skating Championships 1958 European Figure Skating Championships Magda Julin Sonja Henie Barbara Ann Scott Jeannette Altwegg Tenley Albright Peggy Fleming Trixi Schuba Dorothy Hamill Kristi Yamaguchi Sarah Hughes Adelina Sotnikova Lily Kronberger Cecilia Colledge Megan Taylor Jacqueline du Bief Gundi Busch Petra Burka Gabriele Seyfert Karen Magnussen Christine Errath Dianne de Leeuw Elaine Zayak Rosalynn Sumners Debi Thomas Jill Trenary Chen Lu Michelle Kwan Kimmie Meissner Carolina Kostner Eva Pawlik Valda Osborn Claudia Kristofics-Binder Claudia Leistner Sarah Meier (figure skater) Boarnsterhim
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