Former speed skater Hendrik Snip passed away in 1963
On Friday, December 27, 1963, at the age of 76, the former speed skater Hendrik Snip passed away in Noordwijk.
Formerly residing in Sebaldeburen, Mr. Snip’s life shone with the glory of many years of speed skating, particularly in short track. Born on February 4, 1887, Mr. Snip learned to skate at the age of 12.
Already at 13 years old, he won the first prize for boys up to 16 years old in Sebaldeburen, valued at 8 guilders.
From then on, it was almost always winning prizes. The newspapers wrote at the time: “Swift as an eel and unmatched,” and so on.
His peak came at the age of 35 in Tinaarlo, where on December 5, 1922, he won the first prize, including a gold medal.
It was at this speed skating event that Mr. Snip completed the 160 meters in under 13 seconds with the wind and in 15.1 seconds against the wind.
This was an achievement that, to this day (1963), has not been surpassed. That he could hardly bid farewell to the sport of skating is evident from the fact that at the age of 60, he still managed to win a third prize in a competition for men.
Source: Taken from a newspaper article from 1963.
