Alfrēds Ruks

Alfrēds Ruks was born as the son of a servant in the household of a Sigulda clergy man. He competed at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics in the 1,500 m, placing last in his heat. But his real athletic career began in 1913, when he won gold in the 10 km race walking in the First All-Russian Olympics and the Baltic governate championship. He also set Russian records in this event in 1913 and 1914.

Alfrēds Ruks was one of the founders of Marss Rīga, the club he represented in the All-Russian Athletics League. He also acted as chairman of the Riga Athletics League in the Baltic Olympic Committee until World War I. During this time he worked as a construction technician at the “Russo -Balt” factory.

After Latvia’s independence he became a five-time Latvian champion in race walking, in the 3 km (1926), 10 km (1922, 1923), and the 24 km (1922, 1923), and set seven Latvian records in distances from 3 to 50 km. Competing in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Ruks was disqualified in his heat of the 10 km. In 1925, he was elected as chairman of the Latvian Athletics Union and received their award “For Merit” in 1933. After the war he joined the legal department of the railway’s general board.

After the Russian invasion in 1941 he was deported to a prison camp in the Russian Solikamsk region, where he was executed in November of the same year.

Personal Bests: 1500 – unknown; 10kmW – 53:46.0 (1914).