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 Hans Harting and Wim Slijkhuis (right) in 1951 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 January 1923 Leiden, Netherlands |
| Died | 28 June 2003 (aged 80) Badhoevedorp, Netherlands |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Middle-distance running |
| Club | AAC, Amsterdam |
Medal record | |
Willem Frederik "Wim" Slijkhuis (13 January 1923 – 28 June 2003) was a Dutchathlete. During his career that lasted from 1939 to 1954 he was a world's topmiddle distance runner, excelling in distances from 1500 to 5000 metres.
Slijkhuis began his international sports career shortly afterWorld War II, having competed nationally since 1939. In 1946, he won a silver medal in the 5000 m at theEuropean Championships inOslo.[1]
Slijkhuis won the BritishAAA Championships title in the 3 miles event at the1948 AAA Championships.[2][3] Shortly aftewards he took part in the1948 Summer Olympics in London, and was a favourite to win a medal. In the 5000 m he finished third, behind BelgianGaston Reiff and the legendaryEmil Zátopek; nevertheless Slijkhuis was not satisfied. In the 1500 m, his second event, he could have done better, but started his final sprint to the finish line too late to catch the two leadingSwedes, who finished narrowly ahead of him. In spite of this, realising 3:50.4 he equalled his ownDutch record, set two years earlier. Slijkhuis' achievements were overshadowed, however, by the performances of compatriotFanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals at the same Olympics.[1]
In 1950, Slijkhuis did win a major title: the 1500 m at theEuropean championships held inBrussels, with a time of 3:47.2. His personal best at this distance had already been improved to 3:43.8, realised one year earlier inAntwerp and only 0.8 s away from the existingworld record at the time.
During his career Willem Slijkhuis didn't just run almost everywhere in Europe, but also in New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. He was the first Dutchman who competed in the US Indoor circuit and the first non-American, who ever succeeded in obtaining the US title over onemile.
Owing to his stubborn behaviour Slijkhuis sometimes clashed with officials of the Dutch Athletics Federation, who he accused of outrageous interference. On the track however he impressed experts and public with his smooth, steady running style. Especially the English were delighted about his beautiful running style, which they lyrically described as "The Poetry of motion".
His second Olympic participation in the1952 Summer Olympics ended without any successes.[1] Slijkhuis, who won eleven national titles – including eight in the men's 5000 metres – on track, seven inCross country running and set thirty Dutch records, ended his career in 1954 due to injuries. He died on 28 June 2003 inBadhoevedorp.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | KNAU Cup 1950 | Succeeded by |
European Athletics Championships champions in men's1500 metres | |
|---|---|
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