John Farrell (speed skating)

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Olympic medal record
Men’s Speed Skating
Competitor for  United States
Bronze	1928 St. Moritz	500 m

John O'Neil Farrell (28 August 1906 – 20 June 1994) was an American speed skater and speed skating coach.

John Farrell participated in the 1928 Winter Olympics of St. Moritz. On the 500 m, he skated in the first pair and promptly set a new Olympic record with a time of 43.6 seconds, breaking Charles Jewtraw's old record of 44.0 seconds. The record would not stand, though, because in the next pair, Clas Thunberg skated 43.4 seconds, and in the eighth pair, Bernt Evensen also skated 43.4. But since nobody else besides those two skated faster than 43.6, Farrell won the bronze medal.

At the 1932 Winter Olympics of Lake Placid, the speed skating events were skated in packstyle format (having all competitors skate at the same time) for the first and only time in Olympic history. Farrell qualified for the final in his heat, but he finished in sixth (and last) place in the final. Two weeks later, he finished fourteenth at the 1932 World Allround Championships, also in Lake Placid. At the 1936 Winter Olympics of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Farrell was coach of the United States speed skating team.

Farrell also was a National Outdoor Champion. He was inducted in the National Speedskating Hall of Fame in 1971.

[edit] References

• John Farrell at SkateResults.com
• Speedskating Hall of Fame – Speed Skaters. The National Speedskating Museum and Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
• Magne Teigen. Evolution of Olympic Records. International Skating Union (2006-03-05). Retrieved on 2007-08-30.