Niels Holst-Sørensen
{{Short description|Danish athlete and general (1922–2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Niels Holst-Sørensen
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Niels Holst-Sørensen 1946.jpg
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| caption = Holst-Sørensen in 1946
| order =
| office = Chief of the Royal Danish Air Force
| term_start = 1 January 1970
| term_end = 26 May 1982
| predecessor = H. J. Pagh
| successor = P. Thorsen
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1922|12|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = Sønder Felding, Herning, Denmark
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|10|24|1922|12|19|df=y}}
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| spouse = {{marriage|Hjørdis Christiansen|1947}}
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| allegiance = {{Flag|Denmark}}
| branch = {{army|Denmark}}
{{air force|Denmark}}
| serviceyears = 1941–1987
| rank = Major General
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| module = {{Infobox sportsperson | embed = yes
| height = 178 cm
| weight = 70 kg
| country =
| sport = Athletics
| event = 400 m, 800 m
| pb = 400 m – 47,6 (1944)
800 m – 1:48.9 (1943)[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418123053/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ho/niels-holst-sorensen-1.html Niels Holst-Sørensen]. sports-reference.com
| club = Københavns Idræts Forening
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| show-medals = yes
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{{MedalCountry | {{DEN}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{MedalGold| 1946 Oslo|400 m}}
{{MedalSilver| 1946 Oslo|800 m}}
}}}}
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.{{cite web|title=Mr Niels HOLST-SØRENSEN|work=olympic.org|url=https://www.olympic.org/mr-niels-holst-sorensen|accessdate=19 January 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120124017/https://www.olympic.org/mr-niels-holst-sorensen|archivedate=20 January 2018}} 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.
Athletic career
Holst-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.{{cite web|year=2007|title=European Championships (Men)| work=GBRAthletics.com|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/ec.htm|accessdate=7 December 2009}} 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. 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,{{cite web|title=Athletics at the 1948 London Summer Games: Men's 800 metres Semi-Finals|work=sports-reference.com|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1948/ATH/mens-800-metres-semi-finals.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417050955/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1948/ATH/mens-800-metres-semi-finals.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|accessdate=7 December 2009}} 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.{{cite web|title=Niels Holst Sørensen|work=dafital.dk|url=http://www.dafital.dk/profil.asp?id=3956|accessdate=7 December 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719121732/http://www.dafital.dk/profil.asp?id=3956|archivedate=19 July 2011}} 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.{{cite web|title=Index of Who's Who in Running
|work=runtheplanet.com|url=http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/historical/whoswhoinrunning.asp|accessdate=7 December 2009}} 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.
Holst-Sørensen joined the International Olympic committee in 1977 and served as a member until 2002. 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. He was named as an honorary member of the IOC following his retirement in 2002. Holst-Sørensen also served as the president of the National Olympic Committee from 1981 to 1984.
Military career
Holst-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. 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. He retired from the Air Force in 1987.
Death
Niels Holst-Sørensen died on 24 October 2023, at the age of 100.{{cite news |title=Tidligere dansk IOC-medlem Niels Holst-Sørensen er død |url=https://politiken.dk/sport/art9591474/Tidligere-dansk-IOC-medlem-Niels-Holst-Sørensen-er-død |access-date=26 October 2023 |publisher=Politiken |date=26 October 2023}}
References
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External links
- {{cite web |last1=Harding |first1=Merete |last2=Vangdrup |first2=Arne |title=Niels Holst-Sørensen |url=https://biografiskleksikon.lex.dk/Niels_Holst-S%C3%B8rensen |website=biografiskleksikon.lex.dk |accessdate=2 November 2020 |language=da |date=15 March 2014}}
- {{sports links}}
{{Footer European Champions 400 m Men}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holst-Sorensen, Niels}}
Category:People from Herning Municipality
Category:Danish male sprinters
Category:Danish male middle-distance runners
Category:Olympic athletes for Denmark
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Category:Danish International Olympic Committee members
Category:European Athletics Championships medalists
Category:Sportspeople from the Central Denmark Region