Speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics - Men's 500 metres
Encyclopedia
The 500 metres speed skating
event was part of the speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics
programme. The competition was held on Thursday, February 4, 1932.
Sixteen speed skaters from four nations competed.
Like all other speed skating events at this Olympics the competition was held for the only time in packstyle format, having all competitors skate at the same time. This was the common style in North America and gave the runners from the United States
and Canada
a major advantage over the European rivals.
(*) The record was set in a high altitude venue (more than 1000 metres above sea level) and on naturally frozen ice.
In the final Jack Shea
equalized the Olympic record with 43.4 seconds, but in packstyle format.
Heat 2
Heat 3
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...
event was part of the speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics
Speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics
At the 1932 Winter Olympics, four speed skating events were contested. For the only time in the Olympic history, the speed skating were held as packstyle events, having all competitors skate at the same time. This competition form was not common in Europe and gave the runners from the United States...
programme. The competition was held on Thursday, February 4, 1932.
Sixteen speed skaters from four nations competed.
Like all other speed skating events at this Olympics the competition was held for the only time in packstyle format, having all competitors skate at the same time. This was the common style in North America and gave the runners from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
a major advantage over the European rivals.
Medalists
Records
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1932 Winter Olympics.| World Record | 42.6(*) |  Clas ThunbergClas 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... |
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... (SUI Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... ) |
January 13, 1931 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 43.4 | 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... |
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... (SUI Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... ) |
February 13, 1928 |
| 43.4 |  Bernt EvensenBernt Evensen Bernt Sverre Evensen was a Norwegian speed skater and racing cyclist.At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Bernt Evensen became the first Norwegian skater to win an Olympic gold medal by winning gold on the 500 m Bernt Sverre Evensen (8 April 1905 in Kristiania (Oslo) – 24 August 1979)... |
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... (SUI Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... ) |
February 13, 1928 |
(*) The record was set in a high altitude venue (more than 1000 metres above sea level) and on naturally frozen ice.
In the final Jack Shea
Jack Shea
John Amos Shea , better known as Jack Shea or The Chief, was an American double-Gold medalist in speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics. He was the first American to win two Gold medals at one Winter Olympics edition, and was the patriarch of the first family with three generations of Winter...
equalized the Olympic record with 43.4 seconds, but in packstyle format.
First round
Heat 1| Place | Name | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44.3 | Q | |
| 2 | Q | ||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
Heat 2
| Place | Name | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45.3 | Q | |
| 2 | Q | ||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
Heat 3
| Place | Name | Time | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44.9 | Q | |
| 2 | Q | ||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 |
Final
| Place | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43.4 | |
| 2 | 5 m behind | |
| 3 | 8 m behind | |
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 |