Johann Olav Koss

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Olympic medal record
Men’s Speed Skating
Gold 1992 Albertville 1,500 m
Silver 1992 Albertville 10,000 m
Gold 1994 Lillehammer 1,500 m
Gold 1994 Lillehammer 5,000 m
Gold 1994 Lillehammer 10,000 m

Johann Olav Koss (born 29 October 1968 in Drammen, Norway) is a former speed skater, considered to be one of the best in history.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Johann Olav Koss became the Norwegian Junior Champion in 1987, but he could not compete with the top skaters in the 1986 and 1987 World Junior Championships. In 1988, he debuted with the seniors at the World Championships in Alma-Ata, but failed to qualify for the final distance. The following year he finished 8th in the same tournament (after a 15th place in the European Allround Championships), placing second in the 1,500 m. His breakthrough came in 1990, winning the World Allround Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. The following four years, he would win two more world titles (1991 and 1994), finishing 2nd in 1993 and 3rd in 1992. He won the European Allround Championships in 1991 and finished 3rd in the next three editions. Koss had a total of 23 World Cup wins, while winning 4 World Cup titles (the 1,500 m in 1990 and 1991, and the combined 5,000/10,000 m in 1991 and 1994).

Koss made his Olympic debut at the 1992 Winter Olympics, finishing 7th in the 5,000 m, five days after undergoing surgery because of an inflamed pancreas. He would recover to win gold in the 1,500 m (by only 0.04 seconds over fellow countryman Ådne Søndrål) and silver in the 10,000 m (behind Dutch skater Bart Veldkamp).

In 1994, the final year of his career, Koss also gained fame outside the speed skating world by winning three gold medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics in his native Norway, winning all races in new world records, two of which would remain unbeaten until the clap skate era. For his performance, he was named Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" in 1994, together with Bonnie Blair. In addition, he received the Oscar Mathisen Award three times: in 1990, 1991, and 1994.

After his speed skating career, Koss trained as a physician. He became a UNICEF ambassador and a member of the International Olympic Committee (until 2002). He married Canadian businessperson and politician Belinda Stronach on 31 December 1999, but they divorced in 2003. Koss is now the CEO of the International Humanitarian Organisation, Right To Play. Right To Play uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world.

[edit] Medals

An overview of medals won by Koss at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:

Championships Gold medal Silver medal Bronze medal
Winter Olympics 1992 (1,500 m)
1994 (1,500 m)
1994 (5,000 m)
1994 (10,000 m)
1992 (10,000 m)
World Allround 1990
1991
1994
1993 1992
European Allround 1991 1992
1993
1994
Norwegian Allround 1991
1992
1993
1994
1989
1990
Norwegian Single Distance 1989 (1,500 m)
1989 (5,000 m)
1990 (1,500 m)
1990 (5,000 m)
1990 (10,000 m)
1991 (1,500 m)
1991 (5,000 m)
1991 (10,000 m)
1993 (1,000 m)
1993 (5,000 m)
1994 (1,500 m)
1989 (1,000 m)
1990 (1,000 m)
1992 (1,000 m)
1992 (5,000 m)
1988 (10,000 m)
1991 (1,000 m)
1992 (1,500 m)
1994 (5,000 m)

[edit] World records

Over the course of his career, Koss skated 10 world records:

Distance Result Date Location
3,000 m 3:57.52 13 March 1990 Heerenveen
5,000 m 6:41.73 9 February 1991 Heerenveen
10,000 m 13:43.54 10 February 1991 Heerenveen
Big combination 157.396 26 February 1991 Heerenveen
5,000 m 6:38.77 22 January 1993 Heerenveen
5,000 m 6:36.57 13 March 1993 Heerenveen
5,000 m 6:35.53 4 December 1993 Hamar
5,000 m 6:34.96 13 February 1994 Hamar
1,500 m 1:51.29 16 February 1994 Hamar
10,000 m 13:30.55 20 February 1994 Hamar

[edit] Personal records

Distance Result Date Location
500 m 37.98 7 January 1994 Hamar
1,000 m 1:14.9  10 January 1993 Hamar
1,500 m 1:51.29 16 February 1994 Hamar
3,000 m 3:57.52 13 March 1990 Heerenveen
5,000 m 6:34.96 13 February 1994 Hamar
10,000 m 13:30.55 20 February 1994 Hamar

Koss was number one on the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, for a total of 1,998 days, divided over three periods between 1992 and 1997. He has an Adelskalender score of 155.099 points.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Preceded by
Leo Visser
Oscar Mathisen Award
19901991
Succeeded by
Bonnie Blair
Preceded by
Falko Zandstra
Oscar Mathisen Award
1994
Succeeded by
Gunda Niemann
Preceded by
Miguel Indurain
United Press International
Athlete of the Year

1994
Succeeded by
Jonathan Edwards


Leaders of the Adelskalender

Rudolf Ericsson - Peder Østlund - Jaap Eden - Oscar Mathisen - Ivar Ballangrud - Michael Staksrud - Åke Seyffarth - Nikolay Mamonov - Hjalmar Andersen - Boris Shilkov - Dmitriy Sakunenko - Juhani Järvinen - Knut Johannesen - Jonny Nilsson - Per Ivar Moe - Eduard Matusevich - Ard Schenk - Kees Verkerk - Magne Thomassen - Hans van Helden - Vladimir Lobanov - Jan Egil Storholt - Sergey Marchuk - Vladimir Belov - Eric Heiden - Viktor Shasherin - Andrej Bobrov - Nikolay Gulyayev - Michael Hadschieff - Eric Flaim - Johann Olav Koss - Falko Zandstra - Rintje Ritsma - Gianni Romme - Jochem Uytdehaage - Chad Hedrick

Olympic champions in men's 1500 m speed skating
1924: Clas Thunberg | 1928: Clas Thunberg | 1932: Jack Shea | 1936: Charles Mathiesen | 1948: Sverre Farstad | 1952: Hjalmar Andersen | 1956: Yevgeny Grishin / Yuri Mikhaylov | 1960: Roald Aas / Yevgeny Grishin  | 1964: Ants Antson | 1968: Kees Verkerk | 1972: Ard Schenk | 1976: Jan Egil Storholt | 1980: Eric Heiden | 1984: Gaétan Boucher | 1988: André Hoffmann | 1992: Johann Olav Koss | 1994: Johann Olav Koss | 1998: Ådne Søndrål | 2002: Derek Parra | 2006: Enrico Fabris 
Olympic champions in men's 5000 m speed skating
1924: Clas Thunberg | 1928: Ivar Ballangrud | 1932: Irving Jaffee | 1936: Ivar Ballangrud | 1948: Reidar Liaklev | 1952: Hjalmar Andersen | 1956: Boris Shilkov | 1960: Viktor Kosichkin  | 1964: Knut Johannesen | 1968: Fred Anton Maier | 1972: Ard Schenk | 1976: Sten Stensen | 1980: Eric Heiden | 1984: Tomas Gustafson | 1988: Tomas Gustafson | 1992: Geir Karlstad | 1994: Johann Olav Koss | 1998: Gianni Romme | 2002: Jochem Uytdehaage | 2006: Chad Hedrick 
Olympic champions in men's 10000 m speed skating
1924: Julius Skutnabb | 1932: Irving Jaffee | 1936: Ivar Ballangrud | 1948: Åke Seyffarth | 1952: Hjalmar Andersen | 1956: Sigvard Ericsson | 1960: Knut Johannesen  | 1964: Jonny Nilsson | 1968: Johnny Höglin | 1972: Ard Schenk | 1976: Piet Kleine | 1980: Eric Heiden | 1984: Igor Malkov | 1988: Tomas Gustafson | 1992: Bart Veldkamp | 1994: Johann Olav Koss | 1998: Gianni Romme | 2002: Jochem Uytdehaage | 2006: Bob de Jong