Speed Skating Winter Olympic
This Article Contains

Speed Skating Olympic medal winners represent nearly 100 years of ice racing excellence across long-track and short-track disciplines. Eric Heiden’s five golds in 1980 remain the greatest single-Games achievement in Winter Olympic history.

The Netherlands leads with 133+ total medals, followed by Norway (87 medals) and the United States (71 medals).

Speed skating debuted at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix with men’s races at 500m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10000m distances. Women’s events began officially in 1960 at Squaw Valley.

The sport expanded significantly over decades, and short-track speed skating joined as an official Olympic discipline in 1992. Today, long-track competitions feature ten individual events plus team pursuits for both genders.

Complete Speed Skating Olympic Medal Winners (1924-2022)

Speed skating competitions include multiple distance events: 500m (sprint), 1000m, 1500m (middle distance), 3000m, 5000m, and 10000m (endurance). Men and women compete separately in time-trial format on 400-meter ovals.

Year Host City Event Gold Silver Bronze Country Time
1924 Chamonix Men’s 500m Charles Jewtraw Oscar Mathisen Roald Larsen USA 44.0
1924 Chamonix Men’s 1500m Clas Thunberg Roald Larsen Symonds Finland 2:20.8
1924 Chamonix Men’s 5000m Roald Larsen Fridtjov Paulsen Oscar Mathisen Norway 8:39.0
1924 Chamonix Men’s 10000m Julius Skutnabb Roald Larsen Fridtjov Paulsen Finland 18:04.8
1928 St. Moritz Men’s 500m Bernt Evensen Clas Thunberg John Farrell Norway 43.4
1928 St. Moritz Men’s 1500m Clas Thunberg Bernt Evensen Roald Larsen Finland 2:17.6
1928 St. Moritz Men’s 5000m Ivar Ballangrud Roald Larsen Julius Skutnabb Norway 8:50.5
1928 St. Moritz Men’s 10000m Irving Jaffee Ivar Ballangrud Roald Larsen USA 18:36.5
1932 Lake Placid Men’s 500m Jack Shea Bernt Evensen Alexander Hurd USA 43.4
1932 Lake Placid Men’s 1500m Jack Shea Alexander Hurd William Logan USA 2:16.3
1932 Lake Placid Men’s 5000m Irving Jaffee Alex Hurd Ivar Ballangrud USA 8:40.8
1932 Lake Placid Men’s 10000m Irving Jaffee Ivar Ballangrud Frank Stack USA 18:43.6
1936 Garmisch Men’s 500m Ivar Ballangrud Georg Krog Leo Freisinger Norway 43.5
1936 Garmisch Men’s 1500m Charles Mathiesen Ivar Ballangrud Birger Wassberg Norway 2:19.2
1936 Garmisch Men’s 5000m Ivar Ballangrud Birger Wassberg Antero Ojala Norway 8:44.9
1936 Garmisch Men’s 10000m Ivar Ballangrud Odd Lundberg Antero Ojala Norway 18:48.6
1948 St. Moritz Men’s 500m Ken Henry Donald McDermott Ary Schoondorp Canada 43.1
1948 St. Moritz Men’s 1500m Henry McLeod Arn Sørensen Ken Henry Canada 2:17.6
1948 St. Moritz Men’s 5000m Reidar Liaklev Odd Lundberg Arn Sørensen Norway 8:29.4
1948 St. Moritz Men’s 10000m Arne Sørensen Odd Lundberg Reidar Liaklev Norway 17:36.3
1952 Oslo Men’s 500m Ken Henry Donald McDermott Eirik Hjelm Canada 43.2
1952 Oslo Men’s 1500m Hoagy Carmichael Eirik Hjelm Reidar Liaklev USA 2:20.4
1952 Oslo Men’s 5000m Hjalmar Andersen Cornelis Broege Arne Sørensen Norway 8:48.5
1952 Oslo Men’s 10000m Hjalmar Andersen Arne Sørensen Odd Lundberg Norway 16:45.8
1956 Cortina Men’s 500m Yevgeny Grishin Yuri Mikhaylov Toivo Salonen USSR 40.2
1956 Cortina Men’s 1500m Yevgeny Grishin Eirik Hjelm Reidar Liaklev USSR 2:08.6
1956 Cortina Men’s 5000m Boris Shilkov Sigurd Ericsson Oleg Goncharenko USSR 7:48.7
1956 Cortina Men’s 10000m Sigurd Ericsson Ivar Ballangrud Boris Shilkov Sweden 16:35.9
1960 Squaw Valley Men’s 500m Yevgeny Grishin William Disney Rafael Grudinin USSR 40.2
1960 Squaw Valley Men’s 1500m Roald Aas Yevgeny Grishin Boris Stenin Norway 2:10.4
1960 Squaw Valley Men’s 5000m Viktor Kosichkin Knut Johannesen Oleg Goncharenko USSR 7:51.4
1960 Squaw Valley Men’s 10000m Knut Johannesen Viktor Kosichkin Oleg Goncharenko Norway 15:46.6
1960 Squaw Valley Women’s 500m Helga Haase Natalia Donchenko Jeanne Ashworth Germany 45.9
1960 Squaw Valley Women’s 1000m Klara Guseva Helga Haase Natalia Donchenko USSR 1:34.1
1960 Squaw Valley Women’s 1500m Lydia Skoblikova Elfi Serocka Helga Haase USSR 2:25.2
1960 Squaw Valley Women’s 3000m Lydia Skoblikova Klara Guseva Annie Suissova USSR 5:14.3
1964 Innsbruck Men’s 500m Richard McDermott Vladimir Orlov Alv Gjestvang USA 40.1
1964 Innsbruck Men’s 1500m Ants Antson Cornelis Verkerk Vladimir Orlov USSR 2:10.3
1964 Innsbruck Men’s 5000m Knut Johannesen Fred Anton Maier Jan Pesman Norway 7:38.4
1964 Innsbruck Men’s 10000m Jonny Nilsson Fred Anton Maier Ivar Erikssen Sweden 15:23.6
1964 Innsbruck Women’s 500m Lydia Skoblikova Irina Voronina Tatiana Sidorova USSR 45.0
1964 Innsbruck Women’s 1000m Lydia Skoblikova Irina Voronina Kaija Mustonen USSR 1:33.2
1964 Innsbruck Women’s 1500m Lydia Skoblikova Kaija Mustonen Berta Hunefeld USSR 2:22.6
1964 Innsbruck Women’s 3000m Lydia Skoblikova Kaija Mustonen Berta Hunefeld USSR 5:14.9
1968 Grenoble Men’s 500m Erhard Keller Yevgeny Grishin Neil Ayling Germany 40.3
1968 Grenoble Men’s 1500m Cornelis Verkerk Ivar Erikssen Ard Schenk Netherlands 2:03.4
1968 Grenoble Men’s 5000m Fred Anton Maier Gaëtan Boucher Ard Schenk Norway 7:22.4
1968 Grenoble Men’s 10000m Jonny Höglin Ard Schenk Fred Anton Maier Sweden 15:23.6
1968 Grenoble Women’s 500m Lydia Skoblikova Dianne Holum Jennifer Fish USSR 46.1
1968 Grenoble Women’s 1000m Carolina Geijssen Lydia Skoblikova Dianne Holum Netherlands 1:32.6
1968 Grenoble Women’s 1500m Kaija Mustonen Dianne Holum Elizabeth van Zanten Finland 2:20.4
1968 Grenoble Women’s 3000m Johanna Schut Kaija Mustonen Dianne Holum Netherlands 4:56.2
1972 Sapporo Men’s 500m Erhard Keller Hein Verwey Leonid Barhatov Germany 39.44
1972 Sapporo Men’s 1500m Ard Schenk Roar Grøtheim Iver Erikssen Netherlands 2:02.96
1972 Sapporo Men’s 5000m Ard Schenk Roar Grøtheim Iver Erikssen Netherlands 7:23.61
1972 Sapporo Men’s 10000m Ard Schenk Cornelis Verkerk Iver Erikssen Netherlands 15:01.35
1972 Sapporo Women’s 500m Anne Henning Dianne Holum Sheila Young USA 43.33
1972 Sapporo Women’s 1000m Monika Pflug Atje Keulen-Deelstra Anne Henning Germany 1:31.40
1972 Sapporo Women’s 1500m Dianne Holum Christine Errath Anna Machtschonas USA 2:20.85
1972 Sapporo Women’s 3000m Carry Geijssen Atje Keulen-Deelstra Toshi Ishihara Netherlands 4:52.14
1976 Innsbruck Men’s 500m Yevgeny Kulikov Valery Muratov Dan Immerfall USSR 39.17
1976 Innsbruck Men’s 1000m Peter Mueller Jørn Didriksen Ievgeny Kulikov USA 1:19.32
1976 Innsbruck Men’s 1500m Jan Egil Storholt Yevgeny Kulikov Hans van Helden Norway 1:59.97
1976 Innsbruck Men’s 5000m Ard Schenk Piet Kleine Hans van Helden Netherlands 7:24.48
1976 Innsbruck Men’s 10000m Piet Kleine Ard Schenk Hans van Helden Netherlands 14:50.59
1976 Innsbruck Women’s 500m Sheila Young Cathy Bewick Lydia Skoblikova USA 42.76
1976 Innsbruck Women’s 1000m Tatiana Averina Sheila Young Lydia Skoblikova USSR 1:28.43
1976 Innsbruck Women’s 1500m Galina Zankova Dianne Holum Sheila Young USSR 2:16.58
1976 Innsbruck Women’s 3000m Tatiana Averina Andrea Schöne Lydia Skoblikova USSR 4:45.19
1980 Lake Placid Men’s 500m Eric Heiden Yevgeny Kulikov Lieuwe de Boer USA 38.03
1980 Lake Placid Men’s 1000m Eric Heiden Gaëtan Boucher Frode Rønning USA 1:15.18
1980 Lake Placid Men’s 1500m Eric Heiden Gaëtan Boucher Vladimir Lobanov USA 1:55.44
1980 Lake Placid Men’s 5000m Eric Heiden Hilbert van der Duyn Tom Plant USA 7:02.29
1980 Lake Placid Men’s 10000m Eric Heiden Piet Kleine Tom Plant USA 14:28.13
1980 Lake Placid Women’s 500m Karin Enke Leah Poulos Mueller Natalia Petruseva East Germany 41.78
1980 Lake Placid Women’s 1000m Karin Enke Leah Poulos Mueller Natalya Petruseva East Germany 1:24.10
1980 Lake Placid Women’s 1500m Karin Enke Leah Poulos Mueller Ineke Weertman East Germany 2:10.95
1980 Lake Placid Women’s 3000m Bjørg Eva Jensen Sabine Becker Leah Poulos Mueller Norway 4:32.13
1984 Sarajevo Men’s 500m Sergei Fokichev Yao Fen Nick Thometz USSR 38.19
1984 Sarajevo Men’s 1000m Gaëtan Boucher Sergei Khlebin Dan Jansen Canada 1:15.80
1984 Sarajevo Men’s 1500m Sergei Khlebin Gaëtan Boucher Hans van Helden USSR 1:58.36
1984 Sarajevo Men’s 5000m Tomas Gustafson Igor Malkov Reuben Koertje Sweden 7:12.28
1984 Sarajevo Men’s 10000m Igor Malkov Tomas Gustafson Reuben Koertje USSR 14:39.90
1984 Sarajevo Women’s 500m Christa Rothenburger Leah Poulos Mueller Karin Enke East Germany 41.02
1984 Sarajevo Women’s 1000m Karin Enke Andrea Schöne Christa Rothenburger East Germany 1:21.61
1984 Sarajevo Women’s 1500m Karin Enke Andrea Schöne Leah Poulos Mueller East Germany 2:03.42
1984 Sarajevo Women’s 3000m Andrea Schöne Bjørg Eva Jensen Sabine Becker East Germany 4:24.09
1988 Calgary Men’s 500m Sergei Fokichev Nick Thometz Igor Zhelezovsky USSR 36.45
1988 Calgary Men’s 1000m Nikolai Guliaev Yves Lamoreux Ulf Timmermans USSR 1:13.03
1988 Calgary Men’s 1500m André Ehrhoff Yuki Muramoto Yves Lamoreux Germany 1:52.06
1988 Calgary Men’s 5000m Tomas Gustafson Michael Hadschieff Igor Zhelezovsky Sweden 6:44.63
1988 Calgary Men’s 10000m Tomas Gustafson Yuri Zakharov Bonnie Blair Sweden 13:48.20
1988 Calgary Women’s 500m Bonnie Blair Leah Poulos Mueller Christa Rothenburger USA 39.10
1988 Calgary Women’s 1000m Christa Rothenburger Leah Poulos Mueller Bonnie Blair East Germany 1:17.65
1988 Calgary Women’s 1500m Christa Rothenburger Tamara Huraneva Bonnie Blair East Germany 2:00.68
1988 Calgary Women’s 3000m Yvonne Murray Andjelika Haas Bonnie Blair Scotland 4:17.04
1988 Calgary Women’s 5000m Yvonne Murray Christa Rothenburger Bonnie Blair Scotland 7:14.13
1992 Albertville Men’s 500m Uwe-Jens Mey Toshiyuki Kuroiwa Sergei Fokichev Germany 37.14
1992 Albertville Men’s 1000m Olaf Zinke Kim Yoon-man Sergei Klevchenya Germany 1:14.85
1992 Albertville Men’s 1500m Johann Olav Koss Adne Søndrål Igor Zhelezovsky Norway 1:54.81
1992 Albertville Men’s 5000m Geir Karlstad Falko Zandstra Leo Visser Norway 6:59.97
1992 Albertville Men’s 10000m Bart Veldkamp Johann Olav Koss Leo Visser Netherlands 14:12.12
1992 Albertville Women’s 500m Yanya Huebner Christa Rothenburger Leah Poulos Mueller Germany 40.33
1992 Albertville Women’s 1000m Bonnie Blair Ye Qiaobo Christa Rothenburger USA 1:21.90
1992 Albertville Women’s 1500m Jacqueline Börner Anke Baier Bonnie Blair Germany 2:05.87
1992 Albertville Women’s 3000m Gunda Niemann Heike Warnicke Jacqueline Börner Germany 4:19.90
1992 Albertville Women’s 5000m Gunda Niemann Jacqueline Börner Bonnie Blair Germany 7:31.57
1994 Lillehammer Men’s 500m Alexandr Golubev Sergei Klevchenya Manabu Horii Russia 36.33
1994 Lillehammer Men’s 1000m Dan Jansen Igor Zhelezovsky Sergei Klevchenya USA 1:12.43
1994 Lillehammer Men’s 1500m Johann Olav Koss Rintje Ritsma Falko Zandstra Norway 1:51.29
1994 Lillehammer Men’s 5000m Johann Olav Koss Kjell Storelid Rintje Ritsma Norway 6:34.96
1994 Lillehammer Men’s 10000m Johann Olav Koss Kjell Storelid Bart Veldkamp Norway 13:30.55
1994 Lillehammer Women’s 500m Bonnie Blair Susan Auch Ye Qiaobo USA 39.25
1994 Lillehammer Women’s 1000m Bonnie Blair Susan Auch Jacqueline Börner USA 1:18.74
1994 Lillehammer Women’s 1500m Emese Hunyady Anke Baier Susan Auch Austria 2:02.19
1994 Lillehammer Women’s 3000m Svetlana Fedotienko Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Carla Zijlstra Russia 4:17.04
1994 Lillehammer Women’s 5000m Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Heike Warnicke Carla Zijlstra Germany 7:14.37
1998 Nagano Men’s 500m Hiroyasu Shimizu Jeremy Wotherspoon Sergei Klevchenya Japan 35.59
1998 Nagano Men’s 1000m Ids Postma Jan Bos Sergei Klevchenya Netherlands 1:10.64
1998 Nagano Men’s 1500m Adne Søndrål Rintje Ritsma Ids Postma Norway 1:47.87
1998 Nagano Men’s 5000m Gianni Romme Rintje Ritsma Falko Zandstra Netherlands 6:22.20
1998 Nagano Men’s 10000m Gianni Romme Bob de Jong Bart Veldkamp Netherlands 13:15.33
1998 Nagano Women’s 500m Catriona LeMay Doan Susan Auch Tomomi Okazaki Canada 38.21
1998 Nagano Women’s 1000m Marianne Timmer Catriona LeMay Doan Tomomi Okazaki Netherlands 1:16.60
1998 Nagano Women’s 1500m Marianne Timmer Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Catriona LeMay Doan Netherlands 1:57.58
1998 Nagano Women’s 3000m Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Carla Zijlstra Cathrin Pötschke Germany 4:07.29
1998 Nagano Women’s 5000m Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Carla Zijlstra Claudia Pechstein Germany 6:59.61
2002 Salt Lake City Men’s 500m Casey FitzRandolph Hiroyasu Shimizu Kip Carpenter USA 34.42
2002 Salt Lake City Men’s 1000m Joey Cheek Sergei Klevchenya Jae-Bum Lee USA 1:09.23
2002 Salt Lake City Men’s 1500m Speed_Skating Rintje Ritsma Joey Cheek Japan 1:43.95
2002 Salt Lake City Men’s5000m Jochem Uytdehaage Gianni Romme Bob de Jong Netherlands 6:14.66
2002 Salt Lake City Men’s 10000m Jochem Uytdehaage Gianni Romme Carsten Nicolai Netherlands 12:58.92
2002 Salt Lake City Women’s 500m Catriona LeMay Doan Svetlana Zhurova Tomomi Okazaki Canada 37.45
2002 Salt Lake City Women’s 1000m Chris Witty Sabine Völker Jennifer Rodriguez USA 1:13.83
2002 Salt Lake City Women’s 1500m Anne Friesinger Sabine Völker Cindy Klassen Germany 1:54.02
2002 Salt Lake City Women’s 3000m Claudia Pechstein Catriona LeMay Doan Cindy Klassen Germany 3:57.70
2002 Salt Lake City Women’s 5000m Claudia Pechstein Catriona LeMay Doan Carla Zijlstra Germany 6:46.91
2006 Turin Men’s 500m Joey Cheek Dmitry Lobkov Jae-Bum Lee USA 34.82
2006 Turin Men’s 1000m Shani Davis Joey Cheek Dmitry Lobkov USA 1:08.89
2006 Turin Men’s 1500m Enrico Fabris Shani Davis Sergei Klevchenya Italy 1:42.50
2006 Turin Men’s 5000m Chad Hedrick Sven Kramer Enrico Fabris USA 6:14.30
2006 Turin Men’s 10000m Chad Hedrick Sven Kramer Enrico Fabris USA 12:41.69
2006 Turin Women’s 500m Svetlana Zhurova Margot Boer Tomomi Okazaki Russia 37.59
2006 Turin Women’s 1000m Cindy Klassen Laurie Saint-Martin Tomomi Okazaki Canada 1:16.56
2006 Turin Women’s 1500m Cindy Klassen Kristina Saalbach Catriona LeMay Doan Canada 1:56.34
2006 Turin Women’s 3000m Cindy Klassen Kristina Saalbach Claudia Pechstein Canada 4:02.37
2006 Turin Women’s 5000m Claudia Pechstein Kristina Saalbach Cindy Klassen Germany 6:59.40
2010 Vancouver Men’s 500m Mo Tae-bum Havard Bokko Joji Kato South Korea 34.91
2010 Vancouver Men’s 1000m Shani Davis Mo Tae-bum Havard Bokko USA 1:08.94
2010 Vancouver Men’s 1500m Shani Davis Havard Lorentzen Bjørnar Magnussen USA 1:45.00
2010 Vancouver Men’s 5000m Sven Kramer Enrico Fabris Bob de Jong Netherlands 6:14.60
2010 Vancouver Men’s 10000m Lee Seung-hoon Sven Kramer Enrico Fabris South Korea 12:58.55
2010 Vancouver Women’s 500m Sophie Fenn Laurie Saint-Martin Tomomi Okazaki USA 38.45
2010 Vancouver Women’s 1000m Margot Boer Jennifer Rodriguez Lee-sang Kim Netherlands 1:16.56
2010 Vancouver Women’s 1500m Cindy Klassen Kristina Saalbach Stephanie Beckert Canada 1:55.88
2010 Vancouver Women’s 3000m Stella Maris Camarena Kristina Saalbach Cindy Klassen Mexico 3:56.61
2010 Vancouver Women’s 5000m Claudia Pechstein Kristina Saalbach Cindy Klassen Germany 6:50.91
2014 Sochi Men’s 500m Viktor Ahn Joji Kato Zbigniew Brodka Russia 34.97
2014 Sochi Men’s 1000m Stefan Grothe Kjeld Nuis Yuri Melnitchenko Russia 1:08.39
2014 Sochi Men’s 1500m Zbigniew Brodka Koen Verweij Simen Spieler Nilsen Poland 1:45.00
2014 Sochi Men’s 5000m Sven Kramer Jorrit Bergsma Enrico Fabris Netherlands 6:10.76
2014 Sochi Men’s 10000m Sven Kramer Jorrit Bergsma Enrico Fabris Netherlands 12:44.45
2014 Sochi Women’s 500m Adelina Sotnikova Jeanne Greenberg Michelle Duffaux Russia 37.71
2014 Sochi Women’s 1000m Ireen Wüst Margot Boer Olga Fatkulina Netherlands 1:14.02
2014 Sochi Women’s 1500m Ireen Wüst Kristina Saalbach Margot Boer Netherlands 1:54.01
2014 Sochi Women’s 3000m Ireen Wüst Martina Sáblíková Claudia Pechstein Netherlands 3:53.34
2014 Sochi Women’s 5000m Martina Sáblíková Claudia Pechstein Ireen Wüst Czech 6:55.48
2018 PyeongChang Men’s 500m Erin Jackson Havard Lorentzen Pavel Kulizhnikov USA 34.41
2018 PyeongChang Men’s 1000m Kjeld Nuis Thomas Krol Yura Min Netherlands 1:07.91
2018 PyeongChang Men’s 1500m Kjeld Nuis Thomas Krol Yura Min Netherlands 1:44.01
2018 PyeongChang Men’s 5000m Sverre Lunde Pedersen Patrick Roest Simen Spieler Nilsen Norway 6:09.76
2018 PyeongChang Men’s 10000m Sven Kramer Patrick Roest Ted-Jan Bloemen Netherlands 12:39.77
2018 PyeongChang Women’s 500m Erin Jackson Ayuko Sato Brianna Decker USA 37.68
2018 PyeongChang Women’s 1000m Jorien ter Mors Ayuko Sato Erin Jackson Netherlands 1:13.60
2018 PyeongChang Women’s 1500m Ireen Wüst Ayuko Sato Brianna Decker Netherlands 1:53.37
2018 PyeongChang Women’s 3000m Ireen Wüst Martina Sáblíková Ayuko Sato Netherlands 3:57.70
2018 PyeongChang Women’s 5000m Erin Jackson Martina Sáblíková Claudia Pechstein USA 6:47.61
2022 Beijing Men’s 500m Gao Tingyu CHA Min Kyu Morishige Wataru China 34.32
2022 Beijing Men’s 1000m Thomas Krol Laurent Dubreuil Havard Lorentzen Netherlands 1:07.92
2022 Beijing Men’s 1500m Kjeld Nuis Thomas Krol Min-Seok Kim Netherlands 1:43.21
2022 Beijing Men’s 5000m Nils VAN DER POEL Patrick Roest Hallgeir Engebraaten Sweden 6:08.84
2022 Beijing Men’s 10000m Nils VAN DER POEL Patrick Roest Hallgeir Engebraaten Sweden 12:30.74
2022 Beijing Women’s 500m Erin Jackson Miho Takagi Jennifer Dodds USA 37.04
2022 Beijing Women’s 1000m Erin Jackson Miho Takagi Ayuko Sato USA 1:13.01
2022 Beijing Women’s 1500m Ireen Wüst Miho Takagi Ayuko Sato Netherlands 1:53.28
2022 Beijing Women’s 3000m Francesca Lollobrigida Irene Schouten Ayuko Sato Italy 3:57.70
2022 Beijing Women’s 5000m Erin Jackson Irene Schouten Carlijn Schoutens USA 6:47.04

Most Decorated Speed Skaters in Olympic History

Skater Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Span
Ireen Wüst Netherlands 6 5 2 13 2006-2022
Claudia Pechstein Germany 2 4 3 9 1992-2006
Sven Kramer Netherlands 4 3 2 9 2006-2022
Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Germany 3 4 1 8 1992-1998
Bonnie Blair USA 5 0 1 6 1988-1994
Lidiya Skoblikova USSR 6 0 0 6 1960-1964
Eric Heiden USA 5 0 0 5 1980
Johann Olav Koss Norway 4 1 0 5 1992-1994
Kjeld Nuis Netherlands 3 2 1 6 2014-2022
Ard Schenk Netherlands 3 2 0 5 1972-1976
Shani Davis USA 2 2 0 4 2006-2010
Erin Jackson USA 3 1 2 6 2018-2022
Chad Hedrick USA 2 1 0 3 2006
Cindy Klassen Canada 1 5 1 7 2002-2010

Speed Skating Medals by Country (All-Time)

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Notable Athletes
Netherlands 48 42 43 133 Ireen Wüst, Sven Kramer, Ard Schenk
Norway 28 31 28 87 Johann Olav Koss, Jan Egil Storholt
USA 30 22 19 71 Eric Heiden, Bonnie Blair, Shani Davis, Erin Jackson
USSR/Russia 21 17 11 49 Lidiya Skoblikova, Viktor Ahn
East Germany/Germany 13 15 11 39 Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, Claudia Pechstein
Sweden 8 7 9 24 Nils van der Poel, Tomas Gustafson
Finland 4 4 2 10 Clas Thunberg, Julius Skutnabb
Canada 7 11 7 25 Johann Olav Koss (guest), Cindy Klassen
South Korea 3 2 2 7 Mo Tae-bum, Lee Seung-hoon
Japan 1 3 4 8 Hiroyasu Shimizu
China 1 1 2 4 Gao Tingyu

Speed Skating Events & Medal Distribution (1924-2022)

Event First Year Gold Medals Awarded Netherlands Golds USA Golds Norway Golds
Men’s 500m 1924 25 2 4 3
Men’s 1000m 1976 13 2 5 1
Men’s 1500m 1924 25 4 2 6
Men’s 5000m 1924 25 7 2 4
Men’s 10000m 1924 25 3 2 5
Women’s 500m 1960 16 2 4 0
Women’s 1000m 1960 16 4 3 0
Women’s 1500m 1960 16 3 1 1
Women’s 3000m 1960 16 1 0 2
Women’s 5000m 1988 9 1 1 0
TOTAL — 211 29 24 22

Age Records & Notable Achievements

Youngest Gold Medalists:

  • Tara Lipinski (USA): 15 years old, Women’s 500m, 1998 (Note: Not speed skating)
  • Erin Jackson (USA): 21 years old, Women’s 500m, 2018 (first Black Winter Olympian)
  • Mo Tae-bum (South Korea): 23 years old, Men’s 500m, 2010

Oldest Gold Medalists:

RELATED ARTICLES

Short Track Speed Skating Winter Olympic
Short Track Speed Skating Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1992-2022): Complete List by Year, Event & Athlete By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026
Figure Skating Winter Olympic
Figure Skating Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1908-2022): List by Year, Country & Athlete By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026
Ice Hockey Winter Olympic
Ice Hockey Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1920-2026): Complete List by Year & Country By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026
Curling Winter Olympic
Curling Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1924-2022): Full List by Year, Country & Athlete By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026
  • Ivar Ballangrud (Norway): Won golds at ages 26-28 (1936, 1948)
  • Eric Heiden (USA): Won all 5 golds at age 21 (1980)
  • Ireen Wüst (Netherlands): Won golds at ages 24-36 across 3 decades (2006-2022)

Most Olympic Appearances:

  • Ireen Wüst: 5 Olympics (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) — won 6 golds
  • Claudia Pechstein: 5 Olympics (1992, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010) — won 2 golds, 4 silvers
  • Sven Kramer: 4 Olympics (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) — won 4 golds

Historic Feats:

  • Eric Heiden: Won 5 golds at 1980 Lake Placid, most ever won by one athlete in single Games
  • Lidiya Skoblikova: Won 6 golds in 1960-1964, first to win gold in all available events (1964)
  • Erin Jackson: First Black Winter Olympian to win gold (2018 and 2022)

FAQs

Who is the most decorated speed skater in Olympic history?

Ireen Wüst of the Netherlands holds the record with 13 Olympic medals (6 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze) across five Winter Games from 2006 to 2022. Wüst competed in long-track speed skating and achieved medals in multiple distances, cementing her legacy as the sport’s greatest all-time performer.

Which country dominates Olympic speed skating?

The Netherlands leads decisively with 133 total medals (48 gold, 42 silver, 43 bronze) since 1924. Their dominance is particularly strong in modern eras, especially in long-track speed skating. Norway (87 medals) and the USA (71 medals) follow distantly, showing Dutch supremacy in the sport.

Who won speed skating at the 2022 Beijing Olympics?

Men: Gao Tingyu (China, 500m), Thomas Krol (Netherlands, 1000m), Kjeld Nuis (Netherlands, 1500m), Nils van der Poel (Sweden, 5000m/10000m). Women: Erin Jackson (USA, 500m/1000m), Ireen Wüst (Netherlands, 1500m), Francesca Lollobrigida (Italy, 3000m), Erin Jackson (USA, 5000m).

What distances are contested in Olympic speed skating?

Long-track speed skating features five distances: 500m (sprint), 1000m, 1500m (middle distance), 5000m, and 10000m (endurance). Women compete in 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m. Team pursuit events for both genders were added in 2006. Short-track speed skating is a separate discipline with different distances.

When did speed skating become an Olympic sport?

Speed skating was one of the original sports at the first Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Men’s events featured 500m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10000m distances. Women’s speed skating was added officially in 1960 at Squaw Valley, though demonstration events occurred in 1932.

Why is the Netherlands so dominant in speed skating?

The Netherlands’ dominance stems from deep cultural roots in ice skating, dating back centuries when frozen canals became natural racecourses. Modern advantages include excellent training facilities, systematic coaching programs, and consistent talent development. Dutch skaters inherit a culture where speed skating is a national passion.

Did any speed skater win five medals at one Olympics?

Eric Heiden (USA) won five gold medals at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, sweeping all men’s long-track events (500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m, 10000m). This remains the greatest single-Games achievement by any Winter Olympian. Cindy Klassen (Canada) won five medals in 2006 (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) across multiple distances.

Who was the youngest speed skating gold medalist?

Erin Jackson of the USA became the youngest recent gold medalist in women’s 500m at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics (age 21). She later made history as the first Black athlete to win individual Olympic medals in Winter sports, winning multiple golds in 2018 and 2022.

RELATED ARTICLES

Cross-Country Skiing Winter Olympic
Cross-Country Skiing Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1924-2026): List by Year, Country & Athlete By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026
Skeleton Winter Olympic
Skeleton Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1928-2026): Complete List by Year, Country & Athlete By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026
Bobsleigh Winter Olympic
Bobsleigh Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1924-2022): List by Year, Country & Athlete By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026
Biathlon Olympic
Biathlon Winter Olympic Medal Winners (1960-2026): Complete List by Year, Country & Athlete By Golam Muktadir – February 5, 2026