Jaap Eden

Jaap Eden was born in Groningen to Johannes Eden and Maria Baale. Eden's mother died of complications from his birth. His father, a gymnastics teacher, could not take care of the baby alone and sent him to his grandparents, who owned a hotel near Santpoort. As a boy, Eden enjoyed running in dunes near his grandparents' home, gymnastics and, in the winter, skating. His speed and skating technique were noticed by the best Dutch skater at the time, Klaas Pander, who invited the 15-year-old Eden to join him training. Jaap Eden's first significant victory came in a short track race over 160m in December 1890. Thus, Eden, at age 17, was allowed by the Dutch Federation to compete in the world championships. The championships were organized by the Skating Club of Amsterdam, as there was no international governing body at the time. Only two foreign skaters entered, American Joe Donoghue becoming the first champion. Eden skated in the shortest two of the four events, placing 3rd and 4th in the half mile and mile, respectively. Eden entered the European Championships in Hamburg, but without any notable success. Bad weather canceled the 1892 world championships; the European Championships that year were only attended by Austrian skaters. Eden instead competed in the Prince of Orange Cup in England, where he won his first international competition. In summer 1892, skating officials from several European countries convened in Scheveningen. The International Skating Union (ISU) was…

The ice skating rinks Jaap Edenbaan (outdoor) and Jaap Edenhal (indoor) in Amsterdam are named after Eden. Since 1972, the Dutch Sportsman of the year receives the Jaap Eden Award. The prize for this achievement is a statue created by painter and sculptor Jits Bakker (born 1937) from Bilthoven and is named after Eden.