Speed skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics – Women's 1500 metres

Speed skating
at the
1960 Winter Olympics
500 m men women
1000 m women
1500 m men women
3000 m women
5000 m men
10000 m men

The women's 1500 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of women's speed skating events at the Olympics and the 1500 metres were the second contest after the 500 metres. The competition was held on the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink and for the first time at the Olympics on artificially frozen ice. It was held on Sunday, February 21, 1960.

Twenty-three speed skaters from ten nations competed.

Contents

Medalists

Gold Silver Bronze
 Lidiya Skoblikova
Soviet Union (URS)		  Elwira Seroczyńska
Poland (POL)		  Helena Pilejczyk
Poland (POL)

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1960 Winter Olympics.

World Record 2:25.5(*) Khalida Shchegoleeva Medeo (URS) January 30, 1953
Olympic Record -

(*) The record was set in a high altitude venue (more than 1000 metres above sea level) and on naturally frozen ice.

Klara Guseva set the first Olympic record with 2:28.7 minutes. Then Elwira Seroczyńska improved the Olympic record with 2:25.7 minutes. Finally Lidiya Skoblikova set a new world record with 2:25.2 minutes.

Results

Place Speed skater Time
1  Lidiya Skoblikova (URS) 2:25.2 WR
2  Elwira Seroczyńska (POL) 2:25.7
3  Helena Pilejczyk (POL) 2:27.1
4  Klara Guseva (URS) 2:28.7
5  Valentina Stenina (URS) 2:29.2
6  Iris Sihvonen (FIN) 2:29.7
7  Christina Scherling (SWE) 2:31.5
8  Helga Haase (EUA) 2:31.7
9  Elsa Einarsson (SWE) 2:32.9
10  Fumie Hama (JPN) 2:33.3
11  Jeanne Ashworth (USA) 2:33.7
12  Yoshiko Takano (JPN) 2:34.0
13  Doreen Ryan (CAN) 2:34.5
14  Eevi Huttunen (FIN) 2:35.1
15  Jeanne Omelenchuk (USA) 2:36.4
16  Inge Görmer (EUA) 2:36.5
17  Françoise Lucas (FRA) 2:36.6
18  Barb Lockhart (USA) 2:37.0
19  Hatsue Takamizawa (JPN) 2:43.7
20  Margaret Robb (CAN) 2:48.6
21  Kim Gyeong-Hoe (KOR) 2:48.6
22  Gisela Toews (EUA) 2:51.1
23  Han Hye-Ja (KOR) 2:55.6

As Robb and Kim skated in the same pair the referees decided that Robb finished ahead to place 20th.

References

1960: Lidiya Skoblikova · 1964: Lidiya Skoblikova · 1968: Kaija Mustonen · 1972: Dianne Holum · 1976: Galina Stepanskaya · 1980: Annie Borckink · 1984: Karin Enke · 1988: Yvonne van Gennip · 1992: Jacqueline Börner · 1994: Emese Hunyady · 1998: Marianne Timmer · 2002: Anni Friesinger · 2006: Cindy Klassen · 2010: Ireen Wüst