Speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics
| Speed Skating at the III Olympic Winter Games | |
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| Venue | James B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 4-10 |
| Competitors | 31 from 6 nations |
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 and Canada a major advantage over the European rivals. Only two medals went to Europeans. Women were allowed to compete but only as part of demonstration sport events. The distances for women were 500 m, 1000 m and 1500 m. The packstyle racing would pave the way for short track speed skating, that would debut as a demonstration event at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary before becoming an official Olympic event at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.
The men's competitions were held on Thursday, February 4, 1932, Friday, February 5, 1932, Saturday, February 6, 1932, and on Monday, February 8, 1932. The women's events were contested from Monday, February 8, 1932 to Wednesday, February 10, 1932.
Medal summary
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 metres |
 Jack SheaUnited States (USA) |
 Bernt EvensenNorway (NOR) |
 Alexander HurdCanada (CAN) |
| 1500 metres |
Jack Shea United States (USA) |
Alexander Hurd Canada (CAN) |
Willy Logan Canada (CAN) |
| 5000 metres |
Irving Jaffee United States (USA) |
Eddie Murphy United States (USA) |
Willy Logan Canada (CAN) |
| 10000 metres |
Irving Jaffee United States (USA) |
Ivar Ballangrud Norway (NOR) |
Frank Stack Canada (CAN) |
Women's events
Speed skating events for women were demonstration events at the 1932 Games, so no official medals were awarded. Two nations, the USA and Canada, with 10 competitors entered the competition. Like the men's races that used the mass start racing in heats compared to racing in pairs in Europe, the women's races were as well. The official results only show the winning time for each event.
| Event | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
| 500 metres |
Jean Wilson Canada (CAN) |
Elizabeth Dubois United States (USA) |
Kit Klein United States (USA) |
| 1000 metres |
Elizabeth Dubois United States (USA) |
Hattie Donaldson Canada (CAN) |
Dorothy Franey United States (USA) |
| 1500 metres |
Kit Klein United States (USA) |
Jean Wilson Canada (CAN) |
Helen Bina United States (USA) |
Participating nations
Eight speed skaters competed in all four events.
A total of 31 male speed skaters from six nations competed at the Lake Placid Games:
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In addition, ten female speed skaters (five from the United States as well as five from Canada) competed in the women's demonstration events.
Medal table
Only men's events counted.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2 | Norway | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Canada | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
References
- International Olympic Committee results database
- III Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1932, 1932 (digitized version)
- "Results of the 1932 Olympic Games Men". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
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