Gerard Kemkers (born 8 March 1967) is a former speed skater from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. There he won the bronze medal in the 5000 metres.
Kemkers retired from international competition in 1990 and became a coach.
During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, he coached Ireen Wüst to two medals: 3000 m gold and 1500 m bronze, and Sven Kramer to a silver medal on the 5000 m.
During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver he coached Sven Kramer to the gold medal at the 5000 m and Ireen Wüst to the gold medal on the 1500 m. During Kramer's 10 km race, Kemkers made a mistake and guided Kramer to the wrong lane. Kramer finished first, with a time of 12:54.50 (having skated one more turn than he should have in the inner lane and one fewer in the outer lane), but was disqualified for failing to change lanes. As a result, Lee Seung-hoon won gold with a new Olympic record, 12:58.55. Kramer later said, "At the end of the day, it is my responsibility. I am the skater on the ice, I have to do it".
Records Personal records
Source:SpeedSkatingStats.com
World records Nr.EventResultDateLocationNote 1. Small combination 160.454 16–17 March 1990 Inzell World record until 17 February 1991
Tournament overview Season Dutch Championships Single Distances Dutch Championships Allround European Championships Allround Olympic Games World Cup World Championships Allround World Championships Allround Juniors 1984–1985 8th 500m 3000m 10th 1500m 5000m 4th overall 1985–1986 4th 500m 5000m 4th 1500m 10000m overall 17th 1500m 7th 5000m/10000m 10th 500m 10th 5000m 11th 1500m 10000m 4th overall 1986–1987 15th 500m 1500m 4th 5000m 4th 10000m 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 7th 500m 11th 5000m 11th 1500m 11th 10000m 9th overall 17th 1500m 7th 5000m/10000m 14th 500m 4th 5000m 17th 1500m 4th 10000m 5th overall 1987–1988 5000m 10000m 500m 5000m 1500m 10000m overall 7th 500m 4th 5000m 8th 1500m 5th 10000m overall 5000m 5th 10000m 29th 1000m 1500m 9th 500m 38th 5000m 16th 1500m DNQ 10000m NC overall 1988–1989 11th 500m 1500m 5000m DQ 10000m 500m 5000m 5th 1500m 10000m overall 13th 500m 5000m 14th 1500m 10000m overall 10th 1000m 5000m/10000m 19th 500m 4th 5000m 7th 1500m 10000m overall 1989–1990 17th 500m 7th 1500m 4th 5000m 5th 10000m 500m 5000m 7th 1500m 10000m overall 34th 500m 25th 1000m 9th 1500m 5th 5000m/10000m 4th 500m 4th5000m 4th 1500m 6th 10000m 4th overall Source:
Medals won ChampionshipGold Silver Bronze Dutch Single Distances 2 2 2 Dutch Allround 0 5 0 European Allround 0 1 1 Olympic Games 0 0 1 World Cup 1 1 0 World Allround 0 1 0 World Allround Juniors 0 0 0
Overview of championships won by speed skaters coached by Kemkers TournamentMedalNumberWinners 10000m men 1 Uytdehaage 2002 5000m men 3 Uytdehaage 2002 Kramer 2010, 2014 3000m women 2 Wüst 2006, 2014 1500m women 1 Wüst 2010 World Allround men 8 Uytdehaage 2002 Kramer 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 Verweij 2014 World Allround women 7 Groenewold 2004 van Deutekom 2008 Wüst 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 European Allround men 8 Uytdehaage 2002, 2005 Kramer 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 European Allround women 3 Wüst 2008, 2013, 2014 Dutch Allround men 10 Uytdehaage 2001, 2004 Kramer 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013 Olde Heuvel 2010, 2011 Verweij 2014 Dutch Allround women 5 Groenewold 2003, 2004 Wüst 2007, 2008, 2009 Dutch Sprint men 1 Wennemars 2007
Other achievements Netherlands sport coach of the year (2006 and 2013)
References Gerard Kemkers . sports-reference.com
External links Gerard Kemkers at SpeedSkatingStats.com Photos of Gerard Kemkers