Word: grift
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...Pumping furiously, Russian Factory Worker Viktor Kosichkin, 25, swept to an easy victory over Defending Champion Henk van der Grift of The Netherlands in the world speed-skating championships at Moscow. The lone American, Illinois' Eddie Rudolph, placed seventh in the 1,500-meter, 18th in the 1,500-meter, failed to qualify for the 10,000-meter final...
Like the little Dutch boy in Mary Mapes Dodge's children's classic, Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates, Henk van der Grift grew up in Holland dreaming of whizzing his way to glory on the ice. But because the canals around his home town of Breukelen (which gave its name to Brooklyn) seldom froze over, Henk had to do much of his training by taking to the woods and pushing one foot after the other along the ground as though he were skating. Recalls his mother flatly: "He was declared crazy any number of times...
...shaved off another 1.3 sec. on the final lap. With one final burst, he shot across the finish line 17.7 sec. behind Kosichkin's time to become Holland's first world champion in skating since 1905. All Holland prepared to celebrate the victory of Henk van der Grift and his silver skates...