Alfons Bērziņš (7 November 1916 – 16 December 1987) was a Latvian

long track speed skater 　 Long-track speed skating, usually simply referred to as speed skating, is the Olympic sport, Olympic discipline of speed skating where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as ice skat ...

. He competed at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

(got 14th place in the 500 m event). In 1939 he became overall champion at the European Championships.

Biography

Alfons Bērziņš was born 7 November 1916 in Riga. He started his training in speed skating in 1932. His first coach was former Olympic Latvian speed skater Alberts Rumba. In 1938 he graduated Riga city gymnasium No.2. During second half of the 1930s he was a member of the university team ''Universitātes sports'' (University sport). Before World War II he married Olympic Latvian mountain skier Mirdza Martinsone. In 1942 he started

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

studies in

University of Latvia University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919. The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...

however he never graduated. During World War II Bērziņš was conscripted in

Latvian Legion The Latvian Legion ( lv, Latviešu leģions) was a formation of the German Waffen-SS during World War II. Created in 1943, it consisted primarily of ethnic Latvian personnel.Gerhard P. Bassler, ''Alfred Valdmanis and the politics of survival'', 20 ...

in 1944 and served as a

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...

commander in anti-aircraft unit (SS-Flak-Abteilung 506). In April 1944 he was awarded Iron Cross II class. With the capitulation of

Courland Pocket The Courland Pocket (Blockade of the Courland army group), (german: Kurland-Kessel)/german: Kurland-Brückenkopf (Courland Bridgehead), lv, Kurzemes katls (Courland Cauldron) or ''Kurzemes cietoksnis'' (Courland Fortress)., group=lower-alpha ...

in May 1945 Bērziņš entered Soviet captivity. He was sentenced to 10 years of hard labour in

GULAG The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

camp. He was released in 1955 and returned to Latvia. He started to work as a skating coach. One of his most famous pupils was Latvian speed skater Lāsma Kauniste. Alfons Bērziņš died on 16 December 1987 in Riga. He was interred in the Riga Forest Cemetery.

Personal records

*500 m – 42,9 *1500 m – 2.16,4 *5000 m – 8.32,8 *10 000 m – 17.47,2Alfons Berzinš
at speedskatingnews.info

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berzins, Alfons 1916 births 1987 deaths Sportspeople from Riga People from Kreis Riga Latvian male speed skaters Olympic speed skaters for Latvia Speed skaters at the 1936 Winter Olympics World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists Latvian Waffen-SS personnel Latvian prisoners of war Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class Gulag detainees Soviet male speed skaters Burials at Forest Cemetery, Riga Soviet sports coaches Latvian sports coaches Speed skating coaches