Rolf Falk-Larssen
Encyclopedia
Rolf Falk-Larssen is a former speed skater
.
Representing Trondhjems Skøiteklub
, Rolf Falk-Larssen made his international debut at the European Allround Championships
of 1982 and he was in the lead after three distances. On the final distance (the 10,000 m), he was paired against Tomas Gustafson
, the number two after three distances. With just one lap left to go in that 10,000 m, it seemed that Falk-Larssen would be crowned as the new European Champion, but Gustafson skated an extraordinary last lap, setting a new world record of 14:23.59, and beating Falk-Larssen (who skated a great 14:30.34 – a new Norwegian record) by 0.021 points (equivalent to just 0.42 seconds of difference on the 10,000 m). So Falk-Larssen won silver, and he would win a second European Allround silver medal in 1984. Three weeks later, at the 1982 World Allround Championships
, Falk-Larssen won bronze.
In 1983, at the age of 22, Falk-Larssen won the World Allround Championships in Oslo
. Winning three out of four distances, he managed to leave Tomas Gustafson behind before the final distance, the 10,000 m. Falk-Larssen finished the 10,000 m in thirteenth place, 37 seconds behind Gustafson, and if samalog
scores had been used, he would have been number two. However, the rule at the time was that anyone who won three distances was World Champion (a remnant from pre-World-War-I days, when a skater had to win at least three distances to become World Champion). Segments of the crowd thought Falk-Larssen did not give his utmost during the final 10,000 m race, and he was booed during many of the laps. This was the only time in history that the World Champion had a worse samalog score than the number two, and it eventually resulted in the abolishment of the three-distance-wins rule in favour of ranking by samalog points exclusively (the Lex Gustafson, from 1987 onwards). For his accomplishments in 1983, Falk-Larssen received the Oscar Mathisen Award
.
Being a typical allrounder, Falk-Larssen was not specialised enough to win an Olympic medal; he participated in the 1984 Winter Olympics
in Sarajevo
and the 1988 Winter Olympics
in Calgary
, but his best result in six races during those two Olympics was only a twelfth place. Falk-Larssen twice held world records in the allround small combination (500 m – 3,000 m – 1,500 m – 5,000 m), in 1982 and 1983. Falk-Larssen competed internationally until 1994. He won numerous medals at various Norwegian Championships.
Note that Falk-Larssen's personal record on the 3,000 m was not a world record because Leo Visser
skated 3:59.27 at the same tournament.
Falk-Larssen has an Adelskalender score of 160.576 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a ninth place.
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...
.
Representing Trondhjems Skøiteklub
Trondhjems SK (skating)
Trondhjems Skøiteklub is a Norwegian sports club from Trondheim, founded in 1876. It has sections for figure skating and speed skating.Former members include Peder Østlund, Edvard Engelsaas, Oluf Steen, Martin Sæterhaug, Ivar Ballangrud, Magne Thomassen and Rolf Falk-Larssen....
, Rolf Falk-Larssen made his international debut at the European Allround Championships
European Speed Skating Championships
The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The...
of 1982 and he was in the lead after three distances. On the final distance (the 10,000 m), he was paired against Tomas Gustafson
Tomas Gustafson
Sven Tomas Gustafson is a retired speed skater, and one of the most successful distance skaters of the 1980s. He was born in Katrineholm, Sweden.-Early career:...
, the number two after three distances. With just one lap left to go in that 10,000 m, it seemed that Falk-Larssen would be crowned as the new European Champion, but Gustafson skated an extraordinary last lap, setting a new world record of 14:23.59, and beating Falk-Larssen (who skated a great 14:30.34 – a new Norwegian record) by 0.021 points (equivalent to just 0.42 seconds of difference on the 10,000 m). So Falk-Larssen won silver, and he would win a second European Allround silver medal in 1984. Three weeks later, at the 1982 World Allround Championships
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...
, Falk-Larssen won bronze.
In 1983, at the age of 22, Falk-Larssen won the World Allround Championships in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Winning three out of four distances, he managed to leave Tomas Gustafson behind before the final distance, the 10,000 m. Falk-Larssen finished the 10,000 m in thirteenth place, 37 seconds behind Gustafson, and if samalog
Samalog
Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion...
scores had been used, he would have been number two. However, the rule at the time was that anyone who won three distances was World Champion (a remnant from pre-World-War-I days, when a skater had to win at least three distances to become World Champion). Segments of the crowd thought Falk-Larssen did not give his utmost during the final 10,000 m race, and he was booed during many of the laps. This was the only time in history that the World Champion had a worse samalog score than the number two, and it eventually resulted in the abolishment of the three-distance-wins rule in favour of ranking by samalog points exclusively (the Lex Gustafson, from 1987 onwards). For his accomplishments in 1983, Falk-Larssen received the Oscar Mathisen Award
Oscar Mathisen Award
Since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Award is awarded annually for outstanding speed skating performance of the season...
.
Being a typical allrounder, Falk-Larssen was not specialised enough to win an Olympic medal; he participated in the 1984 Winter Olympics
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
and the 1988 Winter Olympics
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, but his best result in six races during those two Olympics was only a twelfth place. Falk-Larssen twice held world records in the allround small combination (500 m – 3,000 m – 1,500 m – 5,000 m), in 1982 and 1983. Falk-Larssen competed internationally until 1994. He won numerous medals at various Norwegian Championships.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Falk-Larssen at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:| 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:... |
– | – | – |
| World 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... |
1983 | – | 1982 |
| World Sprint World Sprint Speed Skating Championships The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day... |
– | – | – |
| World Cup Speed Skating World Cup The Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions, organised yearly by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1985–86. Every year during the winter, a number of competitions on a number of different distances are held... |
– | – | 1988 (1,500 m) |
| European Allround European Speed Skating Championships The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. The International Skating Union has organised the European Championships for Men since 1893 and the European Championships for Women since 1970. The... |
– | 1982 1984 |
– |
| Norwegian Allround | 1982 1983 1984 1985 1988 |
– | 1986 |
| Norwegian Sprint | – | 1982 1987 |
– |
| Norwegian Single Distance | 1988 (1,000 m) 1988 (1,500 m) 1993 (1,500 m) |
– | 1988 (500 m) 1993 (5,000 m) 1994 (1,000 m) |
World records
Over the course of his career, Falk-Larssen skated two world records:| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
162.734 | 17 January 1982 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
| Small combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
161.758 | 23 January 1983 | Davos Eisstadion Davos Vaillant Arena is an arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated... |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Falk-Larssen skated his personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 37.88 | 5 March 1988 | 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... |
36.45 |
| 1,000 m | 1:15.42 | 18 February 1988 | Calgary Olympic Oval The Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is the official designated training center for Speed Skate Canada and the Canadian National Speed Skating team. It is located on the University of Calgary campus... |
1:12.58 |
| 1,500 m | 1:54.26 | 21 March 1987 | Heerenveen Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The stadium is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, and non-sports events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records were set in the... |
1:52.70 |
| 3,000 m | 4:02.79 | 19 March 1987 | Heerenveen Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The stadium is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, and non-sports events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records were set in the... |
4:03.22 |
| 5,000 m | 6:50.93 | 4 December 1987 | Calgary Olympic Oval The Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is the official designated training center for Speed Skate Canada and the Canadian National Speed Skating team. It is located on the University of Calgary campus... |
6:45.44 |
| 10,000 m | 14:30.34 | 31 January 1982 | Oslo Bislett stadion Bislett Stadion is a sports stadium in Oslo, Norway. Bislett is Norway's most well known sports arena internationally, with 15 speed skating world records and more than 50 track and field world records having been set here... |
14:26.71 |
| Big combination Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
162.062 | 15 February 1987 | Heerenveen Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The stadium is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, and non-sports events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records were set in the... |
160.807 |
Note that Falk-Larssen's personal record on the 3,000 m was not a world record because Leo Visser
Leo Visser
Leendert Visser is s a former Dutch Speed skater, who in 1989 won the World Allround championship, the same year in which Visser also became European champion....
skated 3:59.27 at the same tournament.
Falk-Larssen has an Adelskalender score of 160.576 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a ninth place.