Sammy Monsels

Sammy Monsels (born 2 August 1953) is a Surinamese former sprinter and current athletics trainer. He competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics. He is the brother of sprinter Eddy Monsels.

Athletics
Monsels grew up in Suriname, he attended Mulo there, came to the Netherlands in 1971 to compete in the Kingdom Games, and remained in the Netherlands to undergo training as a technical specialist. In Paramaribo, Monsels was a member of the 'Gazelle' athletics association.

In 1971 Monsels was Surinamese champion in the 100 metres and 200 m at both the senior level (11.0 seconds and 22.3 seconds) and the junior level (11.0 and 22.5).

Between 1971 and 1983 Monsels won seven Dutch sprint championships in the 60 metres (indoor) and the 100 and 200 metres (outdoor). In 1972 and 1976 he competed in the Olympic Games, representing Suriname, reaching the second round of the 100 metres and 200 metres on both occasions. In 1982 he represented Suriname at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Havana.

As late as 1990, Monsels competed in the Netherlands national indoor athletics championships in The Hague, finishing third in the 60 metres with a time of 6.89 seconds, behind Emiel Mellaard and Frank Perri.

Military
In the early 1970s Monsels was a tank driver in the Royal Netherlands Army. In 1975 he returned to Suriname from the Netherlands as the country became independent. He became a sports instructor in the Suriname National Army. After the 1980 coup, he received a promotion and became sports chief in the Surinamese army. In 1983, he acted as an intermediary between strongman Dési Bouterse and the exiled Hendrick Chin A Sen. In 1987 he left the Surinamese army.

Trainer
Monsels returned to the Netherlands in 1992 and was founder of Atletiek Vereniging Bijlmer, an athletics club in Bijlmermeer. Until 1997 he was trainer and president of the association. Then in 1999 he founded Continental Sport, another athletics club in the area. He again became trainer and president.

December Murders
In 2002, after questioning by Surinamese judge Albert Ramnewash, Monsels said he was in Fort Zeelandia on December 8, 1982 but was not involved in the killings.

Netherlands championships

 * Outdoor


 * Indoor