Niels Holst-Sørensen (19 December 1922 – 24 October 2023) was a Danish athlete and air force officer, and a centenarian. He served as the commander-in-chief of the Royal Danish Air Force from 1970 to 1982, and as Denmark's military representative to NATO from 1982 to 1986.[2] He won gold and silver medals at the 1946 European Athletics Championships and served as a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1977 to 2002.[2]
Niels Holst-Sørensen | |
|---|---|
 Holst-Sørensen in 1946 | |
| Chief of the Royal Danish Air Force | |
| In office 1 January 1970 – 26 May 1982 | |
| Preceded by | H. J. Pagh |
| Succeeded by | P. Thorsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 December 1922 Sønder Felding, Herning, Denmark |
| Died | 24 October 2023 (aged 100) |
| Spouse |
Hjørdis Christiansen
(m. 1947) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Denmark |
| Branch/service |  Royal Danish Army Royal Danish Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941–1987 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Sports career | |
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 400 m, 800 m |
| Club | Københavns Idræts Forening |
| Sports achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 400 m – 47,6 (1944) 800 m – 1:48.9 (1943)[1] |
Athletic career
editHolst-Sørensen's first major international meeting was the 1946 European Championships, which took place in Oslo. Holst-Sørensen won the gold medal in the 400 metres with a time of 47.9 seconds.[3] He won a silver medal over 800 metres, finishing a tenth of a second behind the Swedish athlete Rune Gustafsson in a time of 1:51.1.[3] He was also a member of the Danish team which finished fourth in the 4 x 400 metres relay in a time of 3:15.4.
Holst-Sørensen competed in the 800 metres at the 1948 Olympics in London. He qualified for the final as no. three in a semifinal in a time of 1:52.4,[4] and finished the final in ninth place in a time of 1:54.0.
Holst-Sørensen won a total of ten Danish championships over 400 and 800 metres, winning both events every year from 1943 to 1947.[5] In 1943 in Stockholm he won the 800 metres in an international match against Sweden in a time of 1:48.9, the fastest time recorded in the world that year.[6] A few days later, coming home to Denmark, he was arrested. As a lieutenant of the Danish army he was interned for a period, because the Danish government had finally broken with the German occupation authorities, while Holst-Sørensen was competing in Stockholm. Holst-Sørensen began his career running for Herning GF, but switched to Københavns Idræts Forening in 1944.[5]
Holst-Sørensen joined the International Olympic committee in 1977 and served as a member until 2002.[2] He served on the IOC's coordination committees for the Winter Olympic Games in Albertville in 1992, Lillehammer in 1994, Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002.[2] He was named as an honorary member of the IOC following his retirement in 2002.[2] Holst-Sørensen also served as the president of the National Olympic Committee from 1981 to 1984.[2]
Military career
editHolst-Sørensen was a graduate of the Royal Danish Army Officers Academy and was a serving Lieutenant in the Royal Danish Army during his athletic career.[2] He was transferred to the Royal Danish Air Force at its foundation in 1950. He eventually rose to the rank of Major General and served as the commander-in-chief of the Air Force from 1970 to 1982 and Denmark's military representative to NATO from 1982 to 1986.[2] He retired from the Air Force in 1987.[2]
Death
editNiels Holst-Sørensen died on 24 October 2023, at the age of 100.[7]
References
edit- ^ Niels Holst-Sørensen. sports-reference.com
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Mr Niels HOLST-SØRENSEN". olympic.org. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ a b "European Championships (Men)". GBRAthletics.com. 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ "Athletics at the 1948 London Summer Games: Men's 800 metres Semi-Finals". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Niels Holst Sørensen". dafital.dk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ "Index of Who's Who in Running". runtheplanet.com. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ "Tidligere dansk IOC-medlem Niels Holst-Sørensen er død". Politiken. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
External links
edit- Harding, Merete; Vangdrup, Arne (15 March 2014). "Niels Holst-Sørensen". biografiskleksikon.lex.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- Niels Holst-Sørensen at World Athletics
- Niels Holst-Sørensen at Olympics.com
- Niels Holst-Sørensen at Olympedia
