Ake Seyffarth
Encyclopedia
Åke Seyffarth was a Swedish
speed skater
who specialised in long distance events. He was born in Stockholm
.
Seyffarth set new world records on the 5,000 m (8:13.7) in 1941 and on the 3000 m (4:45.7) in 1942. In addition to speed skating, Seyffarth also was one of Sweden's leading cyclists, but he was injured in a dirt biking accident in 1943. Seyffarth's became European Allround Champions
in 1947, winning both the 5,000 m and the 10000 m on his way to becoming European Champion.
Seyffarth participated in the 1948 Winter Olympics
in St. Moritz
, the first Winter Olympic Games to be held in twelve years. As a result of the lack of competition during, and shortly after, World War II
, Seyffarth entered the 5,000 m as the world record holder, a record he had set almost exactly seven years earlier, in 1941. During his heat, Seyffarth seemed to be winning until a photographer tried to take a picture of him and stepped onto the ice. Seyffarth brushed the photographer, losing several seconds, and went on to lose his heat and finally come in seventh overall. The winner of the race was Reidar Liaklev
with a time of 8:29.4, well above Seyffarth's 1941 world record of 8:13.7. Seyffarth's official 5,000 m time was 8:37.9.
The day after his disappointing 5000 m race, Seyffarth won Olympic silver on the 1,500 m, half a second behind Norwegian
skater Sverre Farstad
. The day after that, Seyffarth won Olympic gold on the 10000 m with a time of 17:26.30, not a particularly fast time considering that the world record at the time was 17:01.50. He won with relative ease, however, almost ten seconds ahead of silver medallist Lassi Parkkinen
from Finland
.
He died in January 1998 in Mora
.
In addition, Seyffarth won a total of 22 National Single Distance Championships between 1940 and 1948. Note that Sweden did not have any National Allround Championships from 1935 to 1962 – only National Single Distance Championships.
Note that Seyffarth's personal records on the 1000 m and the 3000 m were not recognised as official world records by the International Skating Union
.
Seyffarth has an Adelskalender score of 188.678 points. He was number one on the Adelskalender for a total of 3640 days, from 4 February 1942 until 23 January 1952. This long period included World War II
– during that war, and for a few years afterwards, very few competitions were held.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
speed skater
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
who specialised in long distance events. He was born in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Seyffarth set new world records on the 5,000 m (8:13.7) in 1941 and on the 3000 m (4:45.7) in 1942. In addition to speed skating, Seyffarth also was one of Sweden's leading cyclists, but he was injured in a dirt biking accident in 1943. Seyffarth's became European Allround Champions
European Speed Skating Championships
The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The...
in 1947, winning both the 5,000 m and the 10000 m on his way to becoming European Champion.
Seyffarth participated in the 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, the first Winter Olympic Games to be held in twelve years. As a result of the lack of competition during, and shortly after, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Seyffarth entered the 5,000 m as the world record holder, a record he had set almost exactly seven years earlier, in 1941. During his heat, Seyffarth seemed to be winning until a photographer tried to take a picture of him and stepped onto the ice. Seyffarth brushed the photographer, losing several seconds, and went on to lose his heat and finally come in seventh overall. The winner of the race was Reidar Liaklev
Reidar Liaklev
Reidar Liaklev was a speed skater from Norway who won the gold medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics of St. Moritz...
with a time of 8:29.4, well above Seyffarth's 1941 world record of 8:13.7. Seyffarth's official 5,000 m time was 8:37.9.
The day after his disappointing 5000 m race, Seyffarth won Olympic silver on the 1,500 m, half a second behind Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
skater Sverre Farstad
Sverre Farstad
Sverre Farstad was a speed skater representing Sportsklubben Falken, Trondheim, as part of the Falken Trio also including Henry Wahl and Hjalmar Andersen. Farstad won one Olympic gold medal and one European Championship in his three-year international career.He was born in Lademoen, Trondheim.-Pre...
. The day after that, Seyffarth won Olympic gold on the 10000 m with a time of 17:26.30, not a particularly fast time considering that the world record at the time was 17:01.50. He won with relative ease, however, almost ten seconds ahead of silver medallist Lassi Parkkinen
Lassi Parkkinen
Lauri Rikhard Parkkinen was a Finnish speed skater.Lassi Parkkinen was born in Varkaus, an industrial town in the southeast of Finland. He made his debut at the World Allround Championships in 1938, finishing ninth...
from Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
He died in January 1998 in Mora
Mora, Sweden
Mora is a locality and the seat of Mora Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 10,940 inhabitants in 2005.-History:There are signs of human activity in the surroundings of Mora dating from 4000 B.C. The earliest found buildings in Mora are from the 7th century...
.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Seyffarth at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics Speed skating at the Winter Olympics Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:... |
1948 (10000 m) | 1948 (1500 m) | – |
| World Allround World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world... |
– | – | 1947 |
| European Allround European Speed Skating Championships The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The... |
1947 | – | – |
In addition, Seyffarth won a total of 22 National Single Distance Championships between 1940 and 1948. Note that Sweden did not have any National Allround Championships from 1935 to 1962 – only National Single Distance Championships.
World records
Over the course of his career, Seyffarth skated two world records:| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 m | 8:13.7 | 3 February 1941 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| 3000 m | 4:45.7 | 3 February 1942 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the column WR lists the official world records on the dates that Seyffarth skated his personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 43.2 | 31 January 1942 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
41.8 |
| 1000 m | 1:27.5 | 1 February 1942 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
1:28.4 |
| 1500 m | 2:14.2 | 29 January 1941 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
2:13.8 |
| 3000 m | 4:43.5 | 31 January 1942 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
4:49.6 |
| 5000 m | 8:13.7 | 3 February 1941 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
8:17.2 |
| 10000 m | 17:07.5 | 4 February 1942 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
17:01.5 |
Note that Seyffarth's personal records on the 1000 m and the 3000 m were not recognised as official world records by the International Skating Union
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...
.
Seyffarth has an Adelskalender score of 188.678 points. He was number one on the Adelskalender for a total of 3640 days, from 4 February 1942 until 23 January 1952. This long period included World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
– during that war, and for a few years afterwards, very few competitions were held.