Knut Johannesen
Given name | Knut |
Surname | Johannesen |
Sex | Male |
Born | 6 November 1933 |
Knut "Kuppern" Johannesen, born in Oslo, was the one who brought the speed skating focus back to Norway, after the Soviet skaters had dominated international speed skating during the mid-1950s. After Hjalmar Andersen retired, Norwegian speed skating did not have much international success, and the Olympic Games in 1956 was an all time low with only one silver (won by Johannesen) and one bronze medal. When Knut Johannesen won the World Championships in 1957, it was not only a great victory to Kuppern, but also a relief to Norwegian speed skating.
Two years later, "Kuppern" won the first international tournament to be held on an artificial icerink, the European Championships at Nya Ullevi in Gothenburg. He repeated this the following year, winning a very popular title on his home ground, Bislett.
When he won his first Olympic title, 10000 m in Squaw Valley 1960, he literally demolished the previous World Record, becoming the first skater to break the 16-minutes barrier with 15.46,6. His greatest opponent was the Russian skater Viktor Kosichkin, who had beaten him on the 5000 m.
After two bad years in 1961 and 1962 he was just about to quit speed skating. He was talked into continuing, and he was part of the Norwegian speed skating revolution in 1963. During January 1963 he won his seventh Norwegian Championships in a row, and he set 3 new World Records, becoming the first to skate a 5000 m below 7.40. Later this year he was the runner-up in both the European and the World Championships.
1964 was be his last and most successful year. In the Olympic 5000 m, he beat his teammate Per Ivar Moe by 0.2 seconds although the clock at first showed he was 0.1 slower. And when Ants Antson fell on the opening distance, nobody could beat him in the World Championships. Because of bad ice preparations he could not fight Jonny Nilsson for his third Olympic gold. He had to settle for a bronze medal, making it a total of 5 Olympic medals (2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze).
He was eight times Norwegian champion, which is a record. In 1959 he received the first Oscar Mathisen Trophy. He was flag bearer for the Norwegian Olympic team in 1964.
#1 on the Adelskalender: 27 February 1960 – 23 February 1963, 19 January 1964 – 25 January 1964, a total of 1100 days.
Last updated on 20 December 2005 by Bjarte Hetland.
International Championship Results
National Championship Results
Result | Distance | Date | Tournament | Venue | |
3 | Allround Men | 8 January 1961 | Countrymatch Norway - Soviet Union Men 1961 | Oslo | |
NS4 | Allround Men | 22 January 1961 | Countrymatch Norway - Sweden Men 1961 | Oslo | |
1 | Allround Men | 29 January 1961 | Norwegian Allround Championships Men 1961 | Sandefjord |
World Records
Distance | Time | Rink | Date |
10000 m Men | 15.46,6 | Squaw Valley | 27 February 1960 |
3000 m Men | 4.33,9 | Tønsberg | 12 January 1963 |
Allround Men | 183.035 | Hamar | 20 January 1963 |
5000 m Men | 7.37,8 | Oslo | 26 January 1963 |