| Olympic medalist | ||
| Medal record | ||
| Men's speed skating | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for the Netherlands | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1992 Albertville | 10000 m |
| Bronze | 1994 Lillehammer | 10000 m |
| Competitor for Belgium | ||
| Bronze | 1998 Nagano | 5000 m |
| Competitor for the Netherlands | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Bronze | 1990 Innsbruck | Allround |
| Bronze | 1991 Heerenveen | Allround |
| Competitor for Belgium | ||
| Silver | 1998 Calgary | 5000 m |
| Bronze | 1999 Heerenveen | 5000 m |
| Bronze | 2001 Budapest | Allround |
| Competitor for the Netherlands | ||
| European Championships | ||
| Gold | 1990 Heerenveen | Allround |
| Bronze | 1991 Sarajevo | Allround |
| Competitor for Belgium | ||
| Silver | 2001 Baselga di Pinè | Allround |
Bart Veldkamp (born 22 November 1967 in The Hague, Netherlands) is a retired speed skater, who represented both the Netherlands and Belgium in international competitions, including the Winter Olympics.
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In 1990, Bart Veldkamp won the European Allround Championships and came very close to repeating that feat 11 years later in 2001, finishing 2nd. At the 1992 Winter Olympics, he won a gold medal on the 10,000 m. Mainly due to this achievement, Veldkamp was named Dutch Sportsman of the Year in 1992. Before the 1994 Winter Olympics, he was so dissatisfied with the way to qualify for tournaments that he became a Belgian. In Belgium there was (and still is) no speed skating tradition, so qualifying for tournaments became no issue because there were no other speed skaters to compete with.
In Lillehammer at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Veldkamp won a bronze medal on the 10,000 m for the Netherlands. The next Olympic medal he won was as a Belgian at the 1998 Winter Olympics on the 5,000 m, in which he was the first skater ever to break the 6:30 barrier on that distance, but his time was beaten later that same day by former compatriots Rintje Ritsma and Gianni Romme. His bronze medal was the first ever Olympic medal in speed skating for Belgium.
In 1997, Veldkamp participated in the Elfstedentocht. In 2003, he announced that the 2006 Winter Olympics at Turin would be his third Winter Olympics as a Belgian, his fifth overall, and definitely his last. At these 2006 Winter Olympics, Veldkamp finished 13th on the 5,000 m and 14th on the 10,000 m and ended his career afterwards.
After his career Veldkamp became a sports commentator for the NOS to analyze speed skating races. He also appeared on several other TV shows as Peking Express and Wildebeesten.
In the 2006/2007 winter season Veldkamp trained four Kenyan athletes, for the first time ever on ice, for a Dutch TV show. The goal was to let them skate the 200 km long alternative Elfstedentocht at the Weissensee in Austria.
An overview of medals won by Veldkamp at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:
| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 1992 (10,000 m) | 1994 (10,000 m) 1998 (5,000 m) |
|
| World Allround | 1990 1991 2001 |
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| World Single Distance | 1999 (5,000 m) | 1998 (5,000 m) | |
| European Allround | 1990 | 2001 | 1991 |
| Dutch Allround | 1991 1992 1993 |
1989 1994 1995 |
|
| Dutch Single Distance | 1991 (5,000 m) 1991 (10,000 m) 1992 (5,000 m) 1992 (10,000 m) |
1990 (10,000 m) 1991 (1,500 m) 1993 (10,000 m) |
1988 (5,000 m) 1990 (5,000 m) 1993 (5,000 m) 1994 (5,000 m) |
Over the course of his career, Veldkamp skated two world records:
| Distance | Time | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 m | 3:48.91 | 21 March 1998 | Calgary |
| 5,000 m | 6:28.31 | 8 February 1998 | Nagano |
| Personal records | ||||
| Men's Speed skating | ||||
| Distance | Time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 37.55 | 2000-01-15 | Hamar | |
| 1,000 m | 1:12.80 | 2005-11-20 | Salt Lake City | |
| 1,500 m | 1:49.00 | 2001-03-04 | Calgary | Belgian national record |
| 3,000 m | 3:47.56 | 2006-02-05 | Turin | Belgian national record |
| 5,000 m | 6:23.64 | 2001-03-02 | Calgary | Belgian national record |
| 10,000 m | 13:27.48 | 2002-02-22 | Salt Lake City | Belgian national record |
By January 11, 2009, Veldkamp was placed 62nd with a score of 152.621 points on the Adelskalender, the rankinglist of all-time personal bests.[1] His highest ranking ever on the Adelskalender was a 5th place.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Arnold Vanderlyde Edwin Jongejans |
Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1992 |
Succeeded by Falko Zandstra |
| Preceded by None |
Ard Schenk Award 1990 |
Succeeded by Dries van Wijhe |
|
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