# Jan Smeekens

Jan Smeekens (born 11 February 1987) is a Dutch former speed skater. He is a 500 m specialist.
Smeekens won his first international medal during the 2004 World Junior Single Distance Championships in Moscow where he won the gold medal at the 500 m. At the 2006 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships on 28 October 2005 he made his début among the senior skaters in his country, resulting in claiming a World Cup spot for races in Collalbo and Baselga di Pinè. In the A-group of these World Cup meetings he finished in 6th and 7th position.
On 7 January 2006, later during the 2005–06 season he also made his début at the 2006 KNSB Dutch Sprint Championships. At these championships he won the second race over 500 m. In February 2006 Smeekens signed a professional contract with the TVM Speed skating team.
His first success in his new team was winning a silver medal on the 500 m at the 2007 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships. He won the first race beating all the favourites, while finishing second behind Jan Bos in the final race. Bos claimed and defended his title.
In 2006 Smeekens became the Dutch junior record holder in the 500 m with a personal best of 35.16, which he achieved during the 2006 speed skating finals in Calgary.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Smeekens finished sixth in the 500 m race.
He won Silver in the Men's 500 metres Speed Skating event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia; he had thought he won gold in that event, but his time was adjusted.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Smeekens finished tenth in the 500 m race.

## Records
### Personal records

Personal records :
| Men's speed skating |||||
| Event | Result | Date | Location | Notes |
| 100 meter | 9.69 | 14 February 2009 | Enschede | Dutch national record |
| 300 meter | 22.78 | 14 February 2009 | Enschede | World record |
| 500 meter | 34.32 | 19 January 2013 | Calgary | |
| 1000 meter | 1:08.89 | 16 March 2007 | Calgary | |
| 1500 meter | 1:48.44 | 15 March 2007 | Calgary | |
| 3000 meter | 4:05.18 | 21 January 2006 | Erfurt | |
| 5000 meter | 7:23.36 | 5 February 2005 | Assen | |
Source: SpeedskatingResults.com

### World records

| Event | Result | Date | Location | Avg. speed |
| 300 m | 22.78 | 14 February 2009 | Enschede | 47.4 km/h |

## Tournament overview

| Season | Dutch Championships Single Distances | Dutch Championships Sprint | World Championships Sprint | World Championships Single Distances | Olympic Games | World Cup | European Championships Single Distances |
| 2004–05 | ASSEN 10th 500m | | | | | | |
| 2005–06 | HEERENVEEN 7th 500m 14th 1000m | ASSEN 4th 500m 16th 1000m 500m 18th 1000m 10th overall | | | | 25th 500m | |
| 2006–07 | ASSEN 500m 25th 1000m | GRONINGEN 500m 15th 1000m 500m 14th 1000m 7th overall | | SALT LAKE CITY 13th 500m | | 12th 500m | |
| 2007–08 | HEERENVEEN 500m | HEERENVEEN 6th 500m DNF 1000m DNS 500m DNS 1000m NC overall | | NAGANO 16th 500m | | 11th 500m | |
| 2008–09 | HEERENVEEN 500m | GRONINGEN 500m 17th 1000m 500m 17th 1000m 10th overall | | VANCOUVER 13th 500m | | 11th 500m | |
| 2009–10 | HEERENVEEN 500m 16th 1000m | GRONINGEN 500m 8th 1000m 500m 10th 1000m 4th overall | | | VANCOUVER 6th 500m | 500m | |
| 2010–11 | HEERENVEEN 500m 12th 1000m | HEERENVEEN 500m 4th 1000m 500m 8th 1000m overall | HEERENVEEN 14th 500m 22nd 1000m 500m 15th 1000m 13th overall | INZELL 500m | | 5th 500m | |
| 2011–12 | HEERENVEEN 500m 14th 1000m | HEERENVEEN 4th 500m 18th 1000m 500m 12th 1000m 7th overall | | HEERENVEEN 14th 500m | | 4th 500m | |
| 2012–13 | HEERENVEEN 500m | GRONINGEN 500m 11th 1000m 500m 14th 1000m 7th overall | | SOCHI 500m | | 500m | |
| 2013–14 | HEERENVEEN 500m | AMSTERDAM 500m 10th 1000m 500m 13th 1000m 5th overall | | | SOCHI 500m | 500m | |
| 2014–15 | HEERENVEEN 500m | GRONINGEN 6th 500m 21st 1000m 4th 500m 21st 1000m 15th overall | | | | 8th 500m | |
| 2015–16 | HEERENVEEN 500m | HEERENVEEN 500m 13th 1000m 500m 15th 1000m 9th overall | | KOLOMNA 15th 500m | | 21st 500m | |
| 2016–17 | HEERENVEEN 500m 14th 1000m | HEERENVEEN 500m 8th 1000m 500m 9th 1000m overall | | GANGNEUNG 500m | | 5th 500m 63rd 1000m | |
| 2017–18 | HEERENVEEN 5th 500m 13th 1000m | | | | GANGNEUNG 10th 500m | 4th 500m | |
| 2018–19 | HEERENVEEN 500m 19th 1000m | HEERENVEEN 500m 17th 1000m DNS 500m DNS 1000m NC overall | | INZELL 10th 500m | | 17th 500m | |
| 2019–20 | HEERENVEEN 500m | | | SALT LAKE CITY 12th 500m | | 39th 500m | HEERENVEEN 5th 500m |
Source:
* DNF = Did not finish
* DNS = Did not start
* NC = No classification

## World Cup

| Season | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter | 500 meter |
| 2005–2006 | – | – | 7th(b) | 10th(b) | – | – | 9th | 10th | 19th | 19th | 16th | 13th | | |
| 2006–2007 | 6th | 13th | 7th | 12th | 13th | 13th | 15th | 16th | 7th | 9th | 19th | 8th | | |
| 2007–2008 | 23rd | 12th | 11th | 14th | 12th | 10th | 13th | 4th | 11th | 8th | 15th | 10th | 10th | 8th |
| 2008–2009 | 17th | 12th | 13th | 5th | 14th | 15th | 14th | 15th | 14th | 15th | 6th | | 11th | |
| 2009–2010 | 8th | 10th | 5th | | 14th | 9th | – | – | | | | | | |
| 2010–2011 | 4th | 9th | | 9th | 10th | | – | – | 6th | | 4th | 6th | | |
| 2011–2012 | | 5th | 14th | | 15th | 5th | | 6th | 14th | 11th | 6th | | | |
| 2012–2013 | | | 7th | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2013–2014 | 7th | 7th | 6th | 16th | 4th | 10th | – | – | 4th | | | | | |
| 2014–2015 | | | 10th | 4th | 14th | 6th | 16th | | 17th | – | 15th | 7th | | |
| 2015–2016 | – | 3rd(b) | 6th | – | 13th | 7th | 8th | 10th(b) | | | | | | |
| 2016–2017 | 4th | 15th | | – | – | 8th | | – | 4th | | | | | |
| 2017–2018 | 1st(b) | | 8th | 17th | 17th | – | – | – | | | | | | |
| 2018–2019 | 7th | 15th | | 5th | – | – | 18th | 12th | 4th | – | – | | | |
| 2019–2020 | – | – | – | – | – | 17th | – | – | | | | | | |
Source:

## Medals won

| Championship | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Dutch Single Distances | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Dutch Sprint Classification | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Dutch Sprint Single Distances | 9 | 7 | 3 |
| World Sprint Classification | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| World Sprint Single Distances | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| World Cup 500m | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| World Cup Classification | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| World Single Distances | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Olympic Games | 0 | 1 | 0 |