Sjoerdtsje Faber

Sjoerdtsje Faber (6 May 1915 - 29 October 1998) was a Dutch long-distance speed skater.[1] She was the only women who reached the finish in the 1940 Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour), the most prestigious speed skating race and tour on natural ice in the Netherlands over 200 km.[2] Over the years she finished the tour five times.

Sjoerdtsje Faber
Personal information
Born(1915-05-06)May 6, 1915
Warga
DiedOctober 29, 1998(1998-10-29) (aged 83)
Oldeboorn
Sport
CountryNetherlands
SportSpeed skating

Biography

Because women were excluded from the competition in the Elfstedentocht of 1940, they started among the tour riders. She was one of only 27 touring riders to complete the tour. She rode the tour in about 13 hours, that was 1.5 hour after the first riders.[3] Of the 2700 tour skaters, only 27 finished, including Faber.[2] At the 1941 Elfstedentocht, a year later, she was the second women, 19 minutes behind Wopkje Kooistra (also from Warga). In the 1942 Elfstedentocht, Faber was again the second women, half an hour behind Antje Schaap. The same year she did win the Elfmerentocht, a tour over 100 km.[1] From that year, Faber and Kooistra started skating together more often, and they would also keep in touch throughout their lives outside skating. In 1947 they finished the ninth Eleven Cities Tour, but they were still not allowed to participate in the race. Faber didn't ride the 10th edition of the Elfstedentocht because she was pregnant, and rode her last Elfstedentocht in 1956 (eleventh edition). Several times Faber argued to hold a competition for women, but it was refused by the board of the Elfstedentocht. After her career, from 1985 there is also an official women's race.[4][1]

Faber continued skating long tour until she was old. When she became older she skated behind a push-sled in the shape of a swan. In 1996 she rode her last skating tour this way.[1]

Legacy

Her participation in the 1940 Elfstedentoch, where she was the only woman who finished, earned her fame and inspired the artist Piet van den Eijnde from Haarlem to make a relief. This relief is placed in Het Eerste Friese Schaatsmuseum (The first Frisian speed skating museum) in Hindeloopen in 2017.[1]

Personal

Faber was born in Warga, where she lived a long time of her live. She was the daughter of Douwe Faber (1884-1960), grocer, and Klaaske de Jong (1881-1958). She married on 24 October 1951 with farmer Theun Venema (1915-2001) from Goutum and they started living in Oldeboorn. They got two daughters and a son: Klaaske Hylkje (1952), Jeltje Sjoerdtje (1955) and Douwe Sake (1958). Faber died in Oldeboorn on 29 October 1998, aged 83.[1]

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References
  1. "Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland". resources.huygens.knaw.nl. 17 September 2019.
  2. Bijzondere sportvrouwen in de 20-ste eeuw Sportgeschiedenis.nl, 19 February 2009
  3. "Een bescheiden meisje levert een mannenprestatie" Het Vaderland, 3 February 1940
  4. "Vrouwen in de Elfstedentocht".
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