Andries Hoogerwerf

In the 1920s and 1930s Andries Hoogerwerf won three Dutch middle-distance titles and set several national records. Hoogerwerf specialised in the 800 metres and set his first Dutch record in the event in 1923. He improved the record on two more occasions in 1929 and 1930, with his latter mark standing until 1935. In 1927 he won his first national 800 metres title, earning him a place on the Olympic team for the 1928 Amsterdam Games. He ran in the 400, 800, and 4 × 400 metres relay in Amsterdam, but only advanced from the first round in the 400 metres. After the Olympics he won back-to-back national titles in the 800 metres in 1929 and 1930.

Following his retirement from athletics Hoogerwerf moved to the Dutch East Indies in 1931 where he became a noted naturalist, ornithologist, and conservationist. After working at the Bogor Botanical Gardens he worked at the Ujung Kulon National Park where he was involved in the conservation of the Javan rhinoceros. Hoogerwerf divided his time between the Netherlands and Indonesia, publishing more than 200 scientific reports and books. Hoogerwerf’s rat (Rattus hoogerwerfi) and Hoogerwerf’s pheasant (Lophura hoogerwerfi), both endemic to Indonesia, were named after him.

Personal Bests: 400 – unknown; 800 – 1:56.6 (1929).