Oscar Mathisen
Encyclopedia
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...
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...
and celebrity, almost rivalling Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
and Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
as symbols for a young nation (Norway became independent in 1905). He represented Kristiania Skøiteklubb (now Oslo Skøiteklubb).
Short biography
Oscar Mathisen was born in Kristiania (now OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
) as the youngest of seven children. His parents, Carl Anton Mathisen (born in Østre Toten
Østre Toten
Østre Toten is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lena.-Name:...
in 1852) and Pauline Mathisen (born in Vang, Hedmark
Vang, Hedmark
Vang is a former municipality in Hedmark county, Norway.Vang was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . The city of Hamar was separated from Vang in 1849. Furnes was separated from Vang in 1891...
in 1853), had five sons and two daughters: Carl Markus (1875), Petter Jørgen (1877), Johan Ingval (1879), Agnis Pauline (1880), Sigurd Valdemar
Sigurd Mathisen
Sigurd Mathisen was a Norwegian speed skater, world champion and world record holder on 500m. He was an older brother of Oscar Mathisen.-International championships:...
(1883), Margit Antoni (1885), and Oscar Wilhelm (1888), all born in Kristiania.
Oscar Mathisen was National Champion in 1907 at the age of 18, and became World Champion
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...
the following year (four years after his brother Sigurd Mathisen
Sigurd Mathisen
Sigurd Mathisen was a Norwegian speed skater, world champion and world record holder on 500m. He was an older brother of Oscar Mathisen.-International championships:...
), despite falling on the 500 m. During his career, he set 14 world records, with his 1,500 m record from 1914 standing unrivalled for 23 years. The day before he set that 1,500 m record, he had broken Jaap Eden
Jaap Eden
Jacobus Johannes "Jaap" Eden was a Dutch athlete. He is the only male athlete to has won world championships in both speed skating and bicycle racing .- Early life :Jaap Eden was born in Groningen to Johannes Eden and Maria Baale...
's world record on the 5,000 m and thereby had become the world record holder on all distances. He became World Allround Champion five times (a record later equalled by only one other person, Clas Thunberg
Clas Thunberg
Arnold Clas Robert Thunberg was a Finnish speed skater who won five Olympic gold medals – three at the inaugural Winter Olympics held in Chamonix in 1924 and two at the 1928 Winter Olympics held in St. Moritz...
) and 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...
three times.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he became a professional skater and he was Professional World Champion in 1920. He continued his skating career until 1929. In that last year of his career, then 40 years old, he went to Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
, where people were preparing for the European Championships, and proved that he could still skate fast by beating the world record times on both the 500 m and the 1,000 m, although his times were not recognised as world records because he was a professional skater.
Mathisen always was a gentleman in defeat and showed genuine respect towards skaters who had beaten him and top skaters afterwards, as illustrated by his losses against Nikolay Strunnikov
Nikolay Strunnikov
Nikolay Vasilyevich Strunnikov was a Russian World Champion in speed skating. In addition, he was also successful as a cyclist....
and his message to Oleg Goncharenko
Oleg Goncharenko
Oleg Georgievich Goncharenko , Distinguished Master of Sports of the USSR, was the first male Soviet speed skater to become World Allround Champion....
. His life ended tragically. Mathisen killed his wife and then himself after his wife had suffered from severe depressions for many years.
In 1959, a statue of Mathisen was erected outside of Frogner stadion
Frogner stadion
Frogner stadion is a sports stadium in Oslo, Norway. It is located close to the Frogner Park, between the park and Majorstuen.-History:It opened in 1901, and was built by Kristiania Skøiteklub. In 1914, the stadium was moved to its current position, due to the Oslo Jubilee exhibition...
in Oslo, where he celebrated many of his triumphs. Every year since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy
Oscar Mathisen Award
Since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Award is awarded annually for outstanding speed skating performance of the season...
is awarded to the most outstanding speed skating performance of the season.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Mathisen at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
1908 1909 1912 1913 1914 |
1910 | – |
| 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... |
1909 1912 1914 |
1908 1913 |
1910 |
| Norwegian Allround | 1907 1909 1910 1912 1913 1915 |
1908 | – |
World records
Over the course of his career, Mathisen skated 14 world records:| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 m | 2:20.8 | 8 February 1908 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
| 1,000 m | 1:31.8 | 30 January 1909 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
| 1,500 m | 2:20.6 | 3 January 1910 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
| 500 m | 44.2 | 17 February 1912 | Kristiania - Gamle Frogner stadion |
| 10,000 m | 17:46.3 | 18 February 1912 | Kristiania - Gamle Frogner stadion |
| 10,000 m | 17:36.4 | 25 January 1913 | Trondheim - Øen Stadion 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... |
| 10,000 m | 17:22.6 | 1 February 1913 | Kristiania - Gamle Frogner stadion |
| 500 m | 44.0 | 16 March 1913 | Hamar - Mjosen Hamar is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849... |
| 500 m | 43.7 | 10 January 1914 | Kristiania - Frogner stadion |
| 1,500 m | 2:19.4 | 11 January 1914 | Kristiania - Frogner stadion |
| 500 m | 43.4 | 17 January 1914 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
| 5,000 m | 8:36.6 | 17 January 1914 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
| 1,500 m | 2:17.4 | 18 January 1914 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
| 5,000 m | 8:36.3 | 23 January 1916 | Kristiania - Frogner stadion |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Mathisen skated his personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 43.0 | 14 January 1929 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
43.1 |
| 1,000 m | 1:31.1 | 10 January 1929 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
1:31.8 |
| 1,500 m | 2:17.4 | 18 January 1914 | Davos - Eisstadion 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... |
2:19.4 |
| 3,000 m | 4:58.8 | 19 January 1908 | Kristiania - Gamle Frogner stadion | none |
| 5,000 m | 8:36.3 | 23 January 1916 | Kristiania - Gamle Frogner stadion | 8:36.6 |
| 10,000 m | 17:22.6 | 1 February 1913 | Kristiania - Gamle Frogner stadion | 17:36.4 |
Note that Mathisen's personal records on the 500 m and the 1,000 m were not recognised as 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...
(ISU) because Mathisen was a professional skater when he set those.
Apart from on the 3,000 m, every one of these personal records was faster than the official world record on the given distance at the time, while in most cases, Mathisen himself already was the world record holder. As for the 3,000 m, this was not an official world record event, as governed by the ISU, until 1932. Both the first official world record on this distance (by Clas Thunberg
Clas Thunberg
Arnold Clas Robert Thunberg was a Finnish speed skater who won five Olympic gold medals – three at the inaugural Winter Olympics held in Chamonix in 1924 and two at the 1928 Winter Olympics held in St. Moritz...
in 1932) and the second one (by Michael Staksrud
Michael Staksrud
Michael Staksrud was a Norwegian World Champion in speed skating.-Biography:Born in Gran, in the district of Hadeland, Staksrud started his speed skating career at Hamar Idrettslag . From 1937 onward, he represented Oslo Skøiteklub...
in 1933) were actually slower than Mathisen's personal record. When Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud was a Norwegian speed skater, a four-time Olympic champion in Speed Skating. As the only triple gold medalists at the 1936 Winter Olympics, Ballangrud was the most successful athlete there.-Biography:Ivar Ballangrud was one of the best speed skaters in the world for a period of 15...
set the third official world record on the 3,000 m in 1935, the 3,000 m world record finally was faster than Mathisen's personal record.
Mathisen has an Adelskalender score of 192.560 points. He held first place on the Adelskalender for 7,649 days between 1909 and 1930, more than twice as long as anyone else. The number two on the list of people who led the Adelskalender for the highest number of days is Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud was a Norwegian speed skater, a four-time Olympic champion in Speed Skating. As the only triple gold medalists at the 1936 Winter Olympics, Ballangrud was the most successful athlete there.-Biography:Ivar Ballangrud was one of the best speed skaters in the world for a period of 15...
(who actually replaced Mathisen at the top of the Adelskalender) with 3,675 days.
External links
- Oscar Mathisen at SkateResults.com
- The skating days of Oscar Mathisen in diary form at ortygia.no
- Oscar Mathisen. Deutsche Eisschnelllauf Gemeinschaft e.V. (German Skating Association).
- Evert Stenlund's Adelskalender pages: The Adelskalender
- Evert Stenlund's Adelskalender pages: Heroes from the Speed Skating History – Oscar Mathisen
- Historical World Records. International Skating Union.
- National Championships results. Norges Skøyteforbund (Norwegian Skating Association).