Yvonne van Gennip won three gold medals in speed skating for the Netherlands at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Her victories came in the women’s 1,500-meter, 3,000-meter, and 5,000-meter races. She was especially impressive because the East German skating team had been widely expected to dominate the women’s events. Van Gennip defeated leading East German skaters and became one of the standout athletes of the Games.
The Calgary Olympics were held in Alberta, Canada, from February 13 to 28, 1988. Van Gennip entered the Games with reduced expectations after injuries had disrupted her preparation, making her three victories an unexpected breakthrough. She also set Olympic records in two of her winning races.
A common mix-up is confusing the Netherlands with the host country, Canada, or with East Germany, which was a major force in women’s speed skating at the time. Van Gennip’s performance helped make the Netherlands one of the defining speed-skating nations in Olympic history.