Rintje Ritsma
Robert Rintje Ritsma is a former Dutch long track speed skater. His nickname is the Beer van Lemmer, which translates to the Bear from Lemmer, analogous to Igor Zhelezovski's nickname "The Bear from Minsk", both of which are in reference to their imposing physical appearance.
He appeared in the Dutch version of The Masked Singer as the Springbok.
Speed skating career
He has won the World Allround Championships 4 times. He won this title in 1995, 1996,1999 and 2001; he was second in 1998 and 2003; he was third in 1993, 1994 and 2000.He has won the European Allround Championships a record 6 times: 1994-1996 and 1998-2000.
He participated in five Winter Olympics, winning two silver and four bronze medals, from the 1994, 1998 and 2006 Games.
He also stood at the top of the alltime world ranking, the Adelskalender, for a long time.
Records
World records
Over the course of his career, Ritsma skated 4 world records:| Event | Result | Date | Location | Notes |
| 1500 meter | 1:51.60 | 8 January 1994 | Hamar | World record until 16 February 1994 |
| Big combination | 156.201 | 9 January 1994 | Hamar | World record until 4 January 1998 |
| 1500 meter | 1:48.88 | 20 December 1997 | Heerenveen | World record until 12 February 1998 |
| Big combination | 152.651 | 7 February 1999 | Hamar | World record until 17 March 2002 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com
Personal records
Source: SpeedskatingResults.comTournament overview
Source:World Cup overview
On 1 December 2013 in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sven Kramer won his 30th ISU World Cup event thus surpassing Ritsma as the most successful Dutch World Cup speed skater.Source: