World record:
Sven Kramer, Calgary, Nov 17, 2007
17,74 - 45,88 - 1.14,40 - 1.42,98 - 2.11,33 - 2.39,98 - 3.08,59 - 3.37,15 - 4.05,73 - 4.34,92 - 5.04,20 - 5.33,77 - 6.03,32
Lowland world record:
Sven Kramer, Hamar, Feb 7, 2009
18,14 - 46,81 - 1.16,05 - 1.45,37 - 2.14,67 - 2.43,93 - 3.13,04 - 3.42,45 - 4.11,88 - 4.41,35 - 5.10,70 - 5.39,96 - 6.09,74
Olympic record:
Jochem Uytdehaage, Salt Lake City, Feb 9, 2002
18,42 - 47,27 - 1.16,94 - 1.46,70 - 2.16,37 - 2.45,64 - 3.15,15 - 3.44,96 - 4.14,64 - 4.44,23 - 5.14,18 - 5.44,21 - 6.14,66
Rink record:
Sven Kramer, Mar 13, 2009
18,56 - 47,79 - 1.17,58 - 1.47,18 - 2.16,87 - 2.46,41 - 3.16,21 - 3.46,14 - 4.15,96 - 4.45,72 - 5.15,85 - 5.46,13 - 6.16,20
Season best:
Enrico Fabris, Salt Lake City, Dec 12
18,70 - 46,98 - 1.15,59 - 1.44,58 - 2.13,66 - 2.42,58 - 3.11,58 - 3.40,61 - 4.09,52 - 4.38,53 - 5.07,51 - 5.36,69 - 6.06,06
Lowland season best:
Bob de Jong, Heerenveen, Dec 27
18,77 - 47,45 - 1.17,11 - 1.47,08 - 2.16,93 - 2.46,68 - 3.16,48 - 3.46,00 - 4.15,81 - 4.45,61 - 5.15,40 - 5.44,63 - 6.14,12
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Best nation:
Norway with 9 out of 20 possible wins (i.e. almost half of the golds!): Ivar Ballangrud 1928 and 1936, Reidar Liaklev 1948, Hjalmar Andersen 1952, Knut Johannesen 1964, Fred Anton Maier 1968, Sten Stensen 1976, Geir Karlstad 1992 and Johann Olav Koss 1994. The Netherlands and the USA have 3 each, Sweden and the USSR 2 each, Finland 1.
Best individual skater:
Ivar Ballangrud and Tomas Gustafson. Both have won twice, Ivar in 1928 and 1936, Tomas in 1984 and 1988.
Biggest win:
Oslo 1952 when Hjalmar Andersen won in 8.10.6, 11.0 seconds ahead of Kees Broekman. I yet again wonder what "Hjallis" would have done in Hamar the week before when Kees skated exactly 8.11,0.
Narrowest win:
Sarajevo 1984 when Tomas Gustafson at 7.12,28 was only 2/100 ahead of Igor Malkov. The narrowest win from any Olympic speedskating event ever.
Most surprising win:
Unlike the 10000 m, the 5000 m curiously often has been won by the top favourite. Uytdehaage perhaps was not the most fancied long distance skater last time, but he came, saw, and impressed. Geir Karlstad stood and wept against a wall in Calgary, the man who had kept Norwegian skating alive. Four years later he was fancied in the 10000 m, which he had won in the European championship. Koss was the better Norwegian hope in half the distance, and Veldkamp the favourite. But the weather turned against them in these last outdoor games, and Geir with his 6.59,97 reaped his yet most deserved reward.
Happy 5000 to everyone!!
LEF