Hans Engnestangen (28 March 1908 – 9 May 2003) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...

and world champion. He held the world records over 500 and 1500 meters for more than 13 years.

International championships

At the

1932 Winter Olympics The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Lake Placid 1932, were a winter multi-sport event in the United States, held in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February ...

he participated in the 10000 metres event but was eliminated in the heats. Four years later he finished eights in the 1500 metres competition. He also participated in the 500 metres event but did not finish. Engnestangen won a gold medal at the 1933 World Allround Championships, and a bronze medal in 1935.Medal Winners in World Allround Championships
– ''International Skating Union'' (Retrieved on 9 April 2008) He won the 500 m event in 1933, 1938 and 1939, and the 1500 m in 1937 and 1938. He received a silver medal at the 1937 European Allround Championships, where he also won the 500 m race.

World records

In January 1933 Engnestangen broke the

Clas Thunberg Arnold Clas ("Classe") Robert Thunberg (5 April 1893 – 28 April 1973) was a Finnish speed skater who won five Olympic gold medals – three at the inaugural Winter Olympics held in Chamonix in 1924 (along with a silver and a bronze medal) and t ...

's world record over 500 m, with 42.5, a record which lasted until 1936. Engnestangen improved the time in January 1937 (42.3), and again in February 1938 (41.8). The last record was unbeaten for 14 years, until 1952.Historical World Records
– ''International Skating Union'' (Retrieved on 9 April 2008) In January 1939 Engnestangen set a world record over 1500 m at 2:13.8. This record was unbeaten for 13 years. Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

World War II

Along with fellow speed skater Finn Hodt, Engnestangen had been one of the few leading Norwegian athletes not to follow a nationwide boycott of sports events (the "sports strike") during the occupation. In particular, in 1942 he skated in a Norway-Germany meet in

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

in Austria. The boycott had been launched by the Norwegian sports leadership in response to attempts from 1940 onwards by the collaborationist

Quisling regime The Quisling regime or Quisling government are common names used to refer to the fascist collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling in German-occupied Norway during the Second World War. The official name of the regime from 1 February 19 ...

nazification The Nazi term () or "coordination" was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party successively established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all aspects of German society and societies occupied b ...

of all sports events in Norway. After the war Engnestangen was sentenced to two years for collaborating with the Nazi Germany,Hans Engnestangen
sports-reference.com though contrary to other involved sportsmen he had no personal connection to Nazis.Kjeldstadli, Ole Peder (13 November 2008

. n-s-f.no

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Engnestangen, Hans 1908 births 2003 deaths Norwegian male speed skaters Olympic speed skaters of Norway Speed skaters at the 1932 Winter Olympics Speed skaters at the 1936 Winter Olympics World record setters in speed skating People convicted of treason for Nazi Germany against Norway World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists