Hans Engnestangen

Hans Engnestangen
Personal information
Born 28 March 1908
Brandbu, Norway
Died 9 May 2003 (aged 95)
Jevnaker, Norway
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Sport
Sport Speed skating
Event(s) 500–10000 m
Club Hamar IL
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 500 m – 41.8 (1938)
1500 m – 2:13.8 (1939)
5000 m – 8:31.3 (1934)
10000 m – 18:06.9 (1933)[1][2]

Hans Engnestangen (28 March 1908 – 9 May 2003) was a Norwegian speed skater and world champion. He held the world records over 500 and 1500 meters for more than 13 years.

International championships

At the 1932 Winter Olympics he participated in the 10000 metres event but was eliminated in the heats. Four years later he finished eights in the 1500 metres competition. He also participated in the 500 metres event but did not finish.[1]

Engnestangen won a gold medal at the 1933 World Allround Championships, and a bronze medal in 1935.[3] He won the 500 m event in 1933, 1938 and 1939, and the 1500 m in 1937 and 1938. He received a silver medal at the 1937 European Allround Championships, where he also won the 500 m race.[1]

World records

In January 1933 Engnestangen broke the Clas Thunberg's world record over 500 m, with 42.5, a record which lasted until 1936. Engnestangen improved the time in January 1937 (42.3), and again in February 1938 (41.8). The last record was unbeaten for 14 years, until 1952.[4]

In January 1939 Engnestangen set a world record over 1500 m at 2:13.8. This record was unbeaten for 13 years.[4]

DisciplineTimeDateLocation
500 m42.521 January 1933 Davos
500 m42.330 January 1937 Davos
500 m41.85 February 1938 Davos
1500 m2:13.829 January 1939 Davos

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[5]

World War II

Along with fellow speed skater Finn Hodt, Engnestangen had been one of the few leading Norwegian athletes not to follow a nationwide boycott of sports events (the "sports strike") during the occupation. In particular, in 1942 he skated in a Norway-Germany meet in Klagenfurt in Austria. The boycott had been launched by the Norwegian sports leadership in response to attempts from 1940 onwards by the collaborationist Quisling regime at nazification of all sports events in Norway.[6] After the war Engnestangen was sentenced to two years for collaborating with the Nazi Germany,[1] though contrary to other involved sportsmen he had no personal connection to Nazis.[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hans Engnestangen.
  1. 1 2 3 4 Hans Engnestangen. sports-reference.com
  2. 1 2 Kjeldstadli, Ole Peder (13 November 2008) Hans Engnestangen vant både VM og vinter-spartakiaden. n-s-f.no
  3. Medal Winners in World Allround ChampionshipsInternational Skating Union (Retrieved on 9 April 2008)
  4. 1 2 Historical World RecordsInternational Skating Union (Retrieved on 9 April 2008)
  5. "Hans Engnestangen". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  6. Fretland, Frode (1997). Sogn og Fjordane fotballkrets 75 år: 1922–1997 (in Norwegian). Førde: Sogn og Fjordane fotballkrets. p. 71.
Records
Preceded by
Finland Clas Thunberg
Men's 500 m World Record Holder
21 January 1933 – 18 January 1936
Succeeded by
United States Allan Potts
Preceded by
United States Allan Potts
Men's 500 m World Record Holder
30 January 1937 – 6 January 1952
Succeeded by
Soviet Union Yury Sergeev
Preceded by
Norway Michael Staksrud
Men's 1500 m World Record Holder
29 January 1939 – 20 January 1952
Succeeded by
Soviet Union Valentin Chaikin
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