Sten Stensen
Encyclopedia
Sten Einar Stensen (born 18 December 1947 in Drammen
, Norway
) is a former speed skater
.
, Kay Stenshjemmet
, and Jan Egil Storholt
, Sten Stensen was one of the legendary four S-es ("four aces" in Norwegian), contemporary Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s. Stensen excelled at the longer distances, especially the 5,000 m and 10,000 m, and set two world records. He was World Allround Champion
in 1974 and European Allround Champion
in 1975. He also won Olympic gold on the 5,000 m in Innsbruck
in 1976. For his accomplishments, he received the Oscar Mathisen Award
in 1974 and 1976.
During the 1976 European Allround Championships in Oslo
, Stensen (the defending European Champion), set a new world record on the 10,000 m, but he still lost his title to fellow Norwegian Kay Stenshjemmet
by a tiny margin of only 0.005 points (equivalent to 0.10 seconds on the 10,000 m).
Stensen won gold on the 5,000 m at the 1976 Winter Olympics
the next month, a race in which Piet Kleine
won silver and the world record holder on that distance, Hans van Helden
, won bronze. Still being the world record holder on the 10,000 m, Stensen was the favourite for that distance three days later, but he was beaten by Kleine in a close race. Again, Van Helden finished third.
After ending his speed skating career in 1978, Stensen became a Norwegian broadcasting commentator at speed skating events.
Stensen has an Adelskalender score of 165.011 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a fourth place.
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
, 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...
) is a former 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...
.
Short 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...
, 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...
, and Jan Egil Storholt
Jan Egil Storholt
Jan Egil Storholt is a former speed skater from Norway. He was born in Trondheim.-Biography:Together with Amund Sjøbrend, Sten Stensen, and Kay Stenshjemmet, Jan Egil Storholt was one of the legendary four S-es , four Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s.Storholt was born in...
, Sten Stensen was one of the legendary four S-es ("four aces" in Norwegian), contemporary Norwegian top skaters in the 1970s and early 1980s. Stensen excelled at the longer distances, especially the 5,000 m and 10,000 m, and set two world records. He was World Allround 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...
in 1974 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...
in 1975. He also won Olympic gold on the 5,000 m in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
in 1976. For his accomplishments, he received the Oscar Mathisen Award
Oscar Mathisen Award
Since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Award is awarded annually for outstanding speed skating performance of the season...
in 1974 and 1976.
During the 1976 European Allround Championships in Oslo
Oslo
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...
, Stensen (the defending European Champion), set a new world record on the 10,000 m, but he still lost his title to fellow Norwegian 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...
by a tiny margin of only 0.005 points (equivalent to 0.10 seconds on the 10,000 m).
Stensen won gold on the 5,000 m at the 1976 Winter Olympics
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...
the next month, a race in which Piet Kleine
Piet Kleine
Pieter "Piet" Kleine is a former speed skater from the Netherlands.-Short biography:At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Piet Kleine became Olympic Champion on the 10,000 m, beating world record holder Sten Stensen – who won silver – in a close race...
won silver and the world record holder on that distance, Hans van Helden
Hans van Helden
Hans van Helden is a former speed skater, originally competing for the Netherlands, later for France.-Biography:...
, won bronze. Still being the world record holder on the 10,000 m, Stensen was the favourite for that distance three days later, but he was beaten by Kleine in a close race. Again, Van Helden finished third.
After ending his speed skating career in 1978, Stensen became a Norwegian broadcasting commentator at speed skating events.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Stensen 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 (5,000 m) | 1976 (10,000 m) | 1972 (5,000 m) 1972 (10,000 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... |
1974 | 1973 1976 |
1977 |
| 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... |
1975 | 1976 1978 |
– |
| Norwegian Allround | 1973 1974 |
1976 1977 1978 |
1971 1972 |
World records
Over the course of his career, Stensen skated two world records:| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 m | 14:50.31 | 25 January 1976 | 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... |
| 10,000 m | 14:38.08 | 21 March 1976 | 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
| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 39.03 | 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... |
| 1,000 m | 1:23.44 | 7 January 1973 | Kongsberg Kongsberg is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg.... |
| 1,500 m | 1:58.72 | 21 March 1976 | 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... |
| 3,000 m | 4:13.6 | 17 December 1977 | Hamar 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... |
| 5,000 m | 7:05.04 | 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... |
| 10,000 m | 14:38.08 | 21 March 1976 | 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... |
165.316 | 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... |
Stensen has an Adelskalender score of 165.011 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a fourth place.