Elwira Seroczyńska (1 May 1931 – 24 December 2004) was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 speed skater

Speed skating

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

.

Seroczyńska was born as Elwira Potapowicz in Wilno

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

, Poland (now Vilnius

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

, Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

). A graduate of the State Administrative and Economic School in Elbląg (1951), she and became Polish Allround Champion for the first time in 1952. She would eventually become Polish Allround Champion a total of five times, last in 1963. Apart from her allround titles she won 17 distance titles (some also count the out of competition 1953 1000m race as a title) and established 16 official Polish distance records and one combination record. Curiously several combinations skated at Polish championships were never recognised as being a Polish record due to the combination of distances skated. During her skating career she was member of Stal Elbląg (1950–1953), FSO-Stal Warszawa (1954–1957) and Sarmata Warszawa (1957–1964). At the 1960 Winter Olympics

1960 Winter Olympics

The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...

, she won a silver medal on the 1,500 m. At the 1962 World Championships in Imatra, she won a Gold Medal on the 500m. After her skating career she studied at the Warsaw Academy of Physical Education (1972), where she received a master's degree and became trainer of the Polish skating team. She died in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 at the age of 73.

Results

Participations Year Polish Allround  Polish Distance  Wch Allround World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...   Winter Olympics Speed skating at the Winter Olympics Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:...   1951 2nd 3rd 500m 1st 1000m 1952 1st 1st 500m 3rd 3000m 1st 1500m 3rd 5000m 1953 1st 1st 500m 1st 3000m 1st 1500m 2nd 5000m 1954 1st 2nd 500m 1st 3000m 1st 1000m 1st 5000m 1956 2nd 2nd 500m 2nd 1500m 2nd 1000m 3rd 3000m 1957 2nd 1st 500m 2nd 1500m 2nd 1000m 3rd 3000m 11th 1959 1st 1st 500m 1st 1500m 1st 1000m 2nd 3000m 10th 1960 11th 6th 500m 2nd 1500m fell 1000m 7th 3000m 1961 3rd 1st 500m 3rd 1500m 3rd 1000m 3rd 3000m 14th 1962 9th 1963 1st 1st 500m 2nd 1500m 1st 1000m 1st 3000m NC21 1964 4th 500m 4th 1500m 2nd 1000m 16th 500m 26th 1500m 22nd 1000m

medal count Championships Gold medal Silver medal Bronze medal Winter Olympics Speed skating at the Winter Olympics Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:...   1 World Speed Skating Championships World Speed Skating Championships The International Skating Union organises the following World Championships in the sport of speed skating:* Allround** Men's Allround** Women's Allround* Sprint** Men's Sprint** Women's Sprint* Men's Single Distances* Women's Single Distances* Short Track...   1 Polish Allround 5 3 1 Polish Distance 17 10 8

Personal records

Personal records Distance Time Place Date 500 m 46.8 Squaw Valley  20 Feb 1960 1,000 m 1:39.2 Karuizawa  22 Feb 1963 1,500 m 2:25.7 Squaw Valley  21 Feb 1960 3,000 m 5:27.3 Squaw Valley  23 Feb 1960 5,000 m 10:10.0 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   1964 Mini combination 207.850 Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world...   20/21 Jan 1960 Small combination 247.850 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   01/03 Feb 1953 Old combination 228.250 Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world...   21/22 Jan 1955

Best times in Poland Distance Time Place Date 500 m 48.3 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   25 Feb 1961 1,000 m 1:38.4 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   12 Jan 1964 1,500 m 2:37.3 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   25 Feb 1961 3,000 m 5:36.2 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   27 Jan 1963 5,000 m 10:10.0 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   1964 Mini combination 208.166 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   25/26 Feb 1961 Small combination 247.850 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...   01/03 Feb 1953 Old combination 235.391 Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a... 05/06 Feb 1954

External links

• Polish Olympic Committee