Athlete of the week: Hubert VAN INNIS (BEL)

At the Paris Olympic Games in 1900 with his longbowHubert VAN INNIS (24 February 1866 - 25 November 1961) was a Belgian archer who won gold medals at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris and 1920 Games in Antwerp. To this day he holds the record for having won the most medals in the history of Olympic archery. He is also the most decorated Belgian Olympian in any sport.

At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, VAN INNIS won two gold medals: in the “cordon doré” event at 33m and the “chapelet” at 33m, and one silver medal in the “cordon doré” at 50m.

VAN INNIS did not compete in the Olympic Games again until 1920 in Antwerp. His match record at those Games remains unrivaled in Olympic archery history. He was also the most successful archer of these Games, winning four gold medal and two silver. Gold in the moving bird event at 28m et 33m, moving bird team event at 33m and 50m, and two silver medals in moving bird at 50m and the moving bird team event at 28m.

Although the exceptional number of archery events at these Olympic Games clearly helped VAN INNIS towards his record medal total, this advantage was countered by his absence from the 1904 and 1908 Olympic Games and by the fact that archery events were not held at the 1912 Games. After VAN INNIS’s successes in 1920, archery was never again an Olympic sport during his lifetime but, in 1933, at the age of 67, he won a team gold medal at the world championships and in all probability would have won further Olympic medals had he been given the opportunity.

Hubert VAN INNIS was the founder of an archery dynasty. His great-grandson Philippe PRIEELS competed for Belgium at several World Cup events. His daughter Sarah PRIEELS (aged 22) has been competing internationally since 2008. She was the 2010 Team European champion is currently ranked No 21 in the world in the compound division. We met Philippe PRIEELS during the World Cup and asked him about his great-grandfather.
    Hubert VAN INNIS (left) with his teammates at the 1933 world championshipsPlease tell us about your famous great-grandfather Hubert VAN INNIS?   
Archery was his life. When he was a kid, he had to deliver milk for his parents in villages around Brussels. He left with a cart, a dog and the milk to provide to several restaurants. He always sent the dog home with the cart, and went to shoot archery. Archery was somewhat the national sport in those times in Belgium – it was very popular in the cities and villages alike. My ancestor excelled in archery. He achieved his first major success aged 16, in a tournament where he defeated the archers from Belgium and the Netherlands. He went on to compete until an old age. He won his second Olympic title at 58, and he won the world championships in 1933 at 67 years old! He never stopped shooting until he reached the age of 93 or 94, two years before he died. He had a special status in Belgium but has been a little bit forgotten. He is still the most decorated Belgian Olympian across all sports.  
   VAN INNIS's birthplace Elewijt erected a statue in his honour.   Do you have any stories to tell us about your great grandfather?   
In the early 1920's, he owned a restaurant in Brussels with a bowling alley and a room for archery. The King of Belgium at the time, Albert the First, came to see him shoot at this location right after the Anvers Olympic Games. My grandmother told me that he shot thirty 10s at 25 metres. Is it a legend or not ? I do not know.

My grandfather told me one day that he was so strong that they would prevent him from participating in some competitions, so the others would have a chance to win. One day, he arrived at a pole vault competition and the police were called so that he could shoot because the other archers did not want to let him have access to the shooting platform!
  Is archery a tradition in your family?   
My great grandfather had three daughters; none of whom shot archery. As members of the Club Royal of archery in San Sebastien de Bruxelles, he nominated his grandson as a member. This is the way my father started to practice archery. At this time, he met my mother, who was the daughter of the president of the Club at the time. My mother’s maternal grandfather, Jerome DE MAYER, competed in archery at the Olympic Games of Anvers on the same team as my great grandfather ! My grandmother was an archer as was her husband.
The wedding of my parents has united two genuine archery families! I was born just after the World Archery Championships in Brussels in 1952. And now my daughter Sarah PRIEELS is a member of the National Team of Belgium and a European team champion.
  World Archery Communication