Dirk Boest Gips (1864 - 1920)

Biography

Dirk Boest Gips is Notable.

Dirk Boest represented the Netherlands in the Shooting in the Paris Olympics of 1900.

Dirk Boest Gips (30 July 1864 – 11 November 1920) was a Dutch sport shooter who competed in pistol shooting in the early 20th century.

He represented the Netherlands at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he won a bronze medal as part of the Dutch pistol team. Gips achieved the highest individual score among his teammates, contributing significantly to their podium finish. ^{[1] [2]}

For many decades, his true identity remained uncertain. In the official Olympic report he was listed under the name Van Haan, and subsequent references mistakenly identified him as Gerardus van Haan or Gerardus van Loon. For nearly forty years, Dutch Olympic historian Anthony Bijkerk investigated the case of the so-called “missing shooter.” His research culminated in a breakthrough publication in the Journal of Olympic History (January 2000), where he provided documentary evidence confirming that the mysterious athlete was, in fact, Dirk Boest Gips. ^[3]

Birth

Dirk Boest was born in in 1864. He was the son of Pieter Dirk Boestz Gips and Barendina Fredrica Singels ^[4]

Death

He passed away in 1920 ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia Dirk Boest Gips
2. ↑ Olympedia Dirk Boest Gips #43462, Olympedia
3. ↑ Anthony Bijkerk, “The Missing Shooter Identified,” Journal of Olympic History, Vol. 8, No. 1 (January 2000).
4. ↑ Birth: "Burgerlijke Stand Geboorte (Civil registration births)"
   Regionaal Archief Dordrecht, Collection: Burgerlijke Stand en Bevolking van Dordrecht, Archive: 256, Inventory number: 53, Record number: 508, Book: Geboorteakten Dordrecht 1864
   OpenArch Record (accessed 4 November 2025)
   Regionaal Archief Dordrecht Record
   Dirk Boest Gips born on 30 Jul 1864, child of Pieter, Dirk Boestz Gips & Barendina Frederica Singels, in Dordrecht, Nederland.
5. ↑ Death: "Burgerlijke Stand Overlijden (Civil registration deaths)"
   Haags Gemeentearchief, Collection: Gemeentebestuur van Loosduinen, Archive: 0374-01, Inventory number: 2338, Record number: 1920-185, Book: Overlijdensakten Loosduinen
   OpenArch Record (accessed 4 November 2025)
   Haags Gemeentearchief Record
   Dirk Boest Gips death 11 Nov 1920, child of Pieter Gips & Barendina Frederika Singels, in Loosduinen, Nederland.