Anje Kremer (also known as Ans Kremer, born 12 February 1943) is a Dutch-born New Zealander who is a former competitive speed skater.
Born in the Netherlands. Kremer emigrated to New Zealand in February 1970. She started speed skating in 1971. She was part of New Zealand's first speed skating team to compete in an international competition. And she still holds the New Zealand records on the 5 and 10 kilometer distances. She lives on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Early life and education
Anje Kremer was born in 1943, during WW2, in Ten Boer in the province of Groningen. She attended the horticultural school in Paterswolde and Aalsmeer. In 1963 she skated her first competition. After jobs in Switzerland and Norway, she emigrated permanently to New Zealand in 1970, where she started working as a landscape gardener. There she discovered to her surprise that skating was possible on natural ice and that even championships were organized. Soon she was the best woman, winning countless competitions and championships on frozen lakes with beautiful names like Diamond Lake, Lake Lyndon, Lake Ida and Manorburn Dam.
Speed skating
In 1973, Kremer was part of New Zealand's first speed skating team to compete in an international competition. Kremer and the team competed against Australia in the inaugural Tasman Trophy completion at Lake Ida on the South Island of New Zealand. From 1980 to 1989 Kremer participated in international competitions in Europe, USA and Canada.
In 1980 Kremer participated as the first New Zealand long track skater at a World Championship in Hamar. Until 1989 she overall started in 7 World Championships, the last one in Lake Placid in 1989. There she achieved a 28th place, her best ever.
Meanwhile Kremer won numerous national titles in long track, in short track (which she didn't know at all) and on an intermediate form that was only practiced in New Zealand: mass start championships on a 200-meter natural ice rink. She also won titles in "kortebaan" (160 meter dash) and even in the classic marathon-distance. The number of titles and records that Kremer conquered (also in Master competitions) is countless.
Kremer still holds the New Zealand records on the 5 and 10 kilometer distances, records she skated in 1980 and 1984 in Inzell and Savalen/Norway. Kremer also still holds the New Zealand marathon record. In 1990 she completed the classic distance at Lake Ida in 1hr 30.54.36. The latter record will probably never be improved, because there are no longer official competitions being organized on natural ice in New Zealand, and the country does not have an artificial long track ice rink.
Anje Kremer skating in front of a mass start race at "little" Lake Ida, New Zealand, a 200 meters outdoor oval on natural ice. (Debbie Cade 2nd, Judy-Anne Baber, in white, 3rd, and Val Doratis 4th)
References
- "The Invisible Immigrants". New Zealand Geographic. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- "Ans Kremer (NZL)". speedskatingresults.com. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- Whitehouse, Rhona. "New Zealand Ice Skating Association 50th Jubilee 1937-1987" (PDF). Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- "Ans Kremer (NZL) - Competition results, statistics and records | Skaters | SpeedSkatingNews". www.speedskatingnews.info. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
External links
- Ans Kremer in SpeedSkatingBase.eu (archived)
- Ans Kremer at SpeedSkatingNews.info
- Ans Kremer at SpeedSkatingStats.com
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