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Niels Holst-Sørensen
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.[2] 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.[2] Athletic careerHolst-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.[3] 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.[3] 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,[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[5] Holst-Sørensen joined the International Olympic committee in 1977 and served as a member until 2002.[2] 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.[2] He was named as an honorary member of the IOC following his retirement in 2002.[2] Holst-Sørensen also served as the president of the National Olympic Committee from 1981 to 1984.[2] Military careerHolst-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.[2] 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.[2] He retired from the Air Force in 1987.[2] DeathNiels Holst-Sørensen died on 24 October 2023, at the age of 100.[7] References
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