Jan Egil Storholt
Encyclopedia
Jan Egil Storholt is a former speed skater
from Norway
. He was born in Trondheim
.
, Sten Stensen
, and Kay Stenshjemmet
, Jan Egil Storholt was one of the legendary four S-es (which sounds like "four aces" in Norwegian), four Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Storholt was born in Trondheim, but grew up in the village of Løkken
nearby. He became a member of sports club Falken ("Falcon") in Trondheim. Falken was the club 1948 Olympic 1,500 m Champion Sverre Farstad
and three-time 1952 Olympic Champion (on the 1,500 m, 5000 m, and 10000 m) Hjalmar Andersen
had skated for.
Storholt was the Norwegian Junior Champion in 1969, but when he was almost killed in a mining accident in 1970, he was told he would probably not be able to compete at the highest levels again, and it seemed that his promising career had already come to an end. However, Storholt's determination got him back to the Norwegian top by 1972. After some of the best Norwegian speed skaters had turned professional in 1973 (and therefore also could no longer participate in the Olympic Games), Storholt suddenly was one of the best Norwegian amateurs.
It still took until 1976 for his first major international successes: After having won bronze at the European Allround Championships
that year, Storholt went on to win Olympic
gold on the 1,500 m in Innsbruck
. This made him the third Olympic 1,500 m Champion for sports club Falken. In 1977 he became European Allround Champion
and was narrowly defeated by Eric Heiden
in the World Allround Championships
. He won silver behind Heiden in three consecutive World Championships, and became European Allround Champion
for the second time in 1979. This year he won his only Norwegian allround title as a senior.
Storholt ended his speed skating career in 1981, after having won bronze in the World Championships.
Note that Storholt's personal record on the 5,000 m was not a world record because Kay Stenshjemmet
skated 6:56.9 at the same tournament.
Storholt was number one on the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, for a total of 30 days, divided over two short periods in 1977 and 1978. He has an Adelskalender score of 163.042 points.
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...
from Norway
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...
. He was born in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
.
Biography
Together with Amund SjøbrendAmund Sjøbrend
Amund Martin Sjøbrend is a former ice speed skater from Norway.Together with Sten Stensen, Kay Stenshjemmet, and Jan Egil Storholt, Amund Sjøbrend was one of the legendary four S-es , four Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s...
, Sten Stensen
Sten Stensen
Sten Einar Stensen is a former speed skater.-Short biography:Together with Amund Sjøbrend, Kay Stenshjemmet, and Jan Egil Storholt, Sten Stensen was one of the legendary four S-es , contemporary Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s...
, and Kay Stenshjemmet
Kay Stenshjemmet
Kay Arne Stenshjemmet is a former speed skater from Norway. He was born in Lillestrøm.-Short biography:Together with Amund Sjøbrend, Sten Stensen, and Jan Egil Storholt, Kay Stenshjemmet was one of the legendary four S-es , four Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s.During the 1976...
, Jan Egil Storholt was one of the legendary four S-es (which sounds like "four aces" in Norwegian), four Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Storholt was born in Trondheim, but grew up in the village of Løkken
Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located south of Svorkmo , east of Bjørnli, and north of the municipal center of Meldal....
nearby. He became a member of sports club Falken ("Falcon") in Trondheim. Falken was the club 1948 Olympic 1,500 m Champion 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...
and three-time 1952 Olympic Champion (on the 1,500 m, 5000 m, and 10000 m) Hjalmar Andersen
Hjalmar Andersen
Hjalmar "Hjallis" Johan Andersen is a former speed skater from Norway who won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games of Oslo, Norway. He was the only triple gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics, and as such, became the most successful athlete there.-Short biography:Hjalmar...
had skated for.
Storholt was the Norwegian Junior Champion in 1969, but when he was almost killed in a mining accident in 1970, he was told he would probably not be able to compete at the highest levels again, and it seemed that his promising career had already come to an end. However, Storholt's determination got him back to the Norwegian top by 1972. After some of the best Norwegian speed skaters had turned professional in 1973 (and therefore also could no longer participate in the Olympic Games), Storholt suddenly was one of the best Norwegian amateurs.
It still took until 1976 for his first major international successes: After having won bronze at the European Allround Championships
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...
that year, Storholt went on to win Olympic
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
gold on the 1,500 m in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
. This made him the third Olympic 1,500 m Champion for sports club Falken. In 1977 he became European Allround Champion
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...
and was narrowly defeated by Eric Heiden
Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
in the World Allround Championships
World Speed Skating Championships
The International Skating Union organises the following World Championships in the sport of speed skating:* Allround** Men's Allround** Women's Allround* Sprint** Men's Sprint** Women's Sprint* Men's Single Distances* Women's Single Distances* Short Track...
. He won silver behind Heiden in three consecutive World Championships, and became European Allround Champion
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...
for the second time in 1979. This year he won his only Norwegian allround title as a senior.
Storholt ended his speed skating career in 1981, after having won bronze in the World Championships.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Storholt 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:... |
1976 (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... |
– | 1977 1978 1979 |
1981 |
| World Sprint World Sprint Speed Skating Championships The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day... |
– | – | – |
| 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... |
1977 1979 |
1980 | 1976 1978 |
| Norwegian Allround | 1979 | 1975 | 1977 1978 |
| Norwegian Sprint | – | 1976 1977 1981 |
1974 1980 |
World records
Over the course of his career, Storholt skated two world records:| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 1:55.18 | 20 March 1977 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
163.221 | 20 March 1977 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Storholt skated his personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 38.07 | 19 March 1977 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
37.00 |
| 1000 m | 1:16.77 | 3 January 1978 | Oslo Bislett stadion Bislett Stadion is a sports stadium in Oslo, Norway. Bislett is Norway's most well known sports arena internationally, with 15 speed skating world records and more than 50 track and field world records having been set here... |
1:15.33 |
| 1500 m | 1:55.18 | 20 March 1977 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
1:55.61 |
| 3000 m | 4:09.05 | 2 March 1978 | Inzell Eisstadion Inzell Eisstadion Inzell is a stadium located in Inzell, Germany, best known as a speed skating venue. It is an outdoor, artificial ice, rink, located 690 metres above sea level and has a capacity of 20,000 people... |
4:08.3 |
| 5000 m | 7:01.16 | 19 March 1977 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
7:02.38 |
| 10000 m | 14:49.26 | 19 March 1978 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
14:33.34 |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
163.221 | 20 March 1977 | Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
165.884 |
Note that Storholt's personal record on the 5,000 m was not a world record because Kay Stenshjemmet
Kay Stenshjemmet
Kay Arne Stenshjemmet is a former speed skater from Norway. He was born in Lillestrøm.-Short biography:Together with Amund Sjøbrend, Sten Stensen, and Jan Egil Storholt, Kay Stenshjemmet was one of the legendary four S-es , four Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s.During the 1976...
skated 6:56.9 at the same tournament.
Storholt was number one on the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, for a total of 30 days, divided over two short periods in 1977 and 1978. He has an Adelskalender score of 163.042 points.
External links
- Jan Egil Storholt at SkateResults.com
- Personal records from Jakub Majerski's Speedskating Database
- Evert Stenlund's Adelskalender pages
- Historical World Records from the International Skating Union
- National Championships results from Norges Skøyteforbund (the Norwegian Skating Association)