Lucas Bols In 1892, the company was reorganized into an LLC. Former Dutch colonial possessions proved natural markets for the group's products, and a rapid international expansion followed. By the turn of the century, Bols was aggressively marketing its lines, and nearly all European dynasties had appointed them Royal Warrants. In 1873 Bols won a "Fortschritts-Medaille" at the Weltausstellung 1873 Wien and one year later became purveyor to the imperial court in Vienna. Other courts followed such as several kings and queens of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Monaco, and later in more modern times the courts of Ethiopia and
Jan Bols flag half-staff in the stadium. Bols did (bronze) medal in both the 1972 European and World all-round championships. The next year, he joined most top skaters in a short-lived professional league, finishing third and second in their championships in 1973 and 1974. After retiring from competitions in 1974 he ran a sporting goods shop in his hometown of Hoogeveen. To put these personal records in perspective, the "WR" column lists the official world records on the dates that Bols skated his personal records. † Ard Schenk skated 7:09.8 the same day, so Bols' 7:10.7 did not become a world record.