Speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics explained

Event:Speed skating
Games:1976 Winter
Venue:Eisschnellaufbahn
Dates:5–14 February 1976
Competitors:111
Num Events:9
Nations:19
Prev:1972
Next:1980

Speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics, was held from 5 to 14 February. Nine events were contested at Eisschnelllaufbahn Innsbruck.[1] This was the first Olympics which included the men's 1000 metres, and the first change to the men's program at the Olympics since the elimination of the all-round event in 1928.[2]

Medal summary

Medal table

The Soviet Union led the medal table, with four gold and nine overall. The silver medal for East Germany's Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich was the country's first in speed skating.

Tatyana Averina led the individual medal table, winning a medal in all four women's events, two gold and two bronze. Sheila Young won three medals one of each value on the three shortest distances for women. The most successful male skaters were Norway's Sten Stensen and the Netherlands' Piet Kleine, who both won one gold and one silver medal, splitting the long distance events. The Dutch speed skater Hans van Helden won the bronze-medals on all the three longest distances for men. The Russian speed skater Valery Muratov also got a multiple set of medals with a silver medal in the 500 metres event and the bronze medal in the 1000 metres event.

Men's events

500 metres
39.17
(OR)
39.2539.54
1000 metres
1:19.32
(OR)
1:20.451:20.57
1500 metres
1:59.38
(OR)
1:59.972:00.87
5000 metres
7:24.487:26.477:26.54
10,000 metres
14:50.59
(OR)
14:53.3015:02.02

Women's events

500 metres
42.76
(OR)
43.1243.17
1000 metres
1:28.43
(OR)
1:28.571:29.14
1500 metres
2:16.58
(OR)
2:17.062:17.96
3000 metres
4:45.19
(OR)
4:45.234:45.24

Records

Eight out of the nine events, including the debuting men's 1000 metres, had new Olympic records set, with only the men's 5000 metres record remaining unbroken.[3] [4]

Event DateTeam Time OR WR
10 February 39.17 OR
12 February 1:19.32 OR
13 February 1:59.38 OR
14 February 14:50.59 OR
6 February 42.76 OR
7 February 1:28.43 OR
5 February 2:16.58 OR
8 February 4:45.19 OR

Participating NOCs

Nineteen nations competed in the speed skating events at Innsbruck.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Final Report - XII. Olympische Winterspiele Innsbruck 1976. LA84 Foundation. Organizing Committee for the XIIth Winter Olympic Games 1976. 1976. 28 January 2014.
  2. Web site: Speed Skating at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Games . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417043021/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1976/SSK/ . dead . 17 April 2020 . Sports Reference . 31 October 2019.
  3. Web site: ISU - Speed Skating - Records - World Records. International Skating Union. 29 January 2014.
  4. Web site: ISU - Speed Skating - Records - Olympic Records. International Skating Union. 29 January 2014.