Verné Lesche
Encyclopedia
Verné Lesche, married Vanberg, (11 October 1917 – 21 April 2002) was a speed skater from Finland
who twice won the World Allround Championships
.
Lesche was born in Helsinki
, Finland, and already skated a world record in 1933 when she was only 15 years old. Her successes continued and she won the world title for the first time in 1939, when Tampere
hosted the World Allround Championships. She won it for the second time in Drammen
in 1947, making her the only speed skater in history to have won a medal at the World Allround Championships both before and after World War II
. At those 1947 World Championships, Lesche won all four distances and the difference in samalog
points with the silver medallist, Norwegian skater Else Marie Christiansen
, was 20.923 points – the largest difference in history between numbers one and two at an international championship. Of this 20.923 point difference, 6.983 points (equal to 41.9 seconds) were the difference between Lesche and Christiansen on the 3,000 m, while Lesche recorded a 9.690 point difference over Christiansen on the 5,000 m by skating that distance 1 minute and 36.9 seconds faster than the Norwegian.
A very rare event took place at the Finnish Allround Championships in 1948. Lesche won one distance and finished second on the other three, and her resulting samalog score was better than that of any of her opponents. However, Eevi Huttunen
had finished second on one distance while winning the other three, and the rule at the time was that a competitor would automatically be the winner by finishing first on at least three distances. So despite having the best samalog score, Lesche won only silver. The most famous occurrence of this application of the three distance wins rule was at the 1983 World Allround Championships, when Rolf Falk-Larssen
became World Champion despite silver medallist Tomas Gustafson
having a better samalog score.
Lesche's last international appearance was at the 1949 World Allround Championships where she finished fifth overall and set a new world record on the 5,000 m. Lesche-Vanberg died in Kongsberg
, Norway
, at the age of 84. Her son, Marcel Lesche Vanberg, is still active in speed skating as a starter.
Note that the World Allround Championships of 1934 were unofficial.
Note that Lesche's personal record on the 500 m was not a world record because Synnøve Lie
skated 50.3 at the same tournament. Also note that the old combination was not an official world record event, as governed by the International Skating Union
, until 1949, and that the small combination was not an official world record event until 1983.
Lesche has an Adelskalender score of 217.896 points.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
who twice won the 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...
.
Lesche was born in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland, and already skated a world record in 1933 when she was only 15 years old. Her successes continued and she won the world title for the first time in 1939, when Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
hosted the World Allround Championships. She won it for the second time in Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
in 1947, making her the only speed skater in history to have won a medal at the World Allround Championships both before and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At those 1947 World Championships, Lesche won all four distances and the difference in 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...
points with the silver medallist, Norwegian skater Else Marie Christiansen
Else Marie Christiansen
Else Marie Christiansen is a former Norwegian female speed skater. She won a silver medal at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women in 1947, behind Verné Lesche from Finland....
, was 20.923 points – the largest difference in history between numbers one and two at an international championship. Of this 20.923 point difference, 6.983 points (equal to 41.9 seconds) were the difference between Lesche and Christiansen on the 3,000 m, while Lesche recorded a 9.690 point difference over Christiansen on the 5,000 m by skating that distance 1 minute and 36.9 seconds faster than the Norwegian.
A very rare event took place at the Finnish Allround Championships in 1948. Lesche won one distance and finished second on the other three, and her resulting samalog score was better than that of any of her opponents. However, Eevi Huttunen
Eevi Huttunen
Eevi Huttunen, married Pirinen, is a former speed skater from Finland.Being for a decade almost the only female skater able to compete against the Soviet ladies on the longer distances, Eevi Huutunen made a comeback specially for the 1960 Winter Olympics , where she managed to win the...
had finished second on one distance while winning the other three, and the rule at the time was that a competitor would automatically be the winner by finishing first on at least three distances. So despite having the best samalog score, Lesche won only silver. The most famous occurrence of this application of the three distance wins rule was at the 1983 World Allround Championships, when Rolf Falk-Larssen
Rolf Falk-Larssen
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 , he was paired against Tomas Gustafson, the number two...
became World Champion despite silver medallist 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:...
having a better samalog score.
Lesche's last international appearance was at the 1949 World Allround Championships where she finished fifth overall and set a new world record on the 5,000 m. Lesche-Vanberg died in Kongsberg
Kongsberg
is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, at the age of 84. Her son, Marcel Lesche Vanberg, is still active in speed skating as a starter.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Lesche at important championships she participated in, listing the years in which she won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
1939 1947 |
(1934) 1936 1938 |
1937 |
| Finnish Allround | 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1943 1944 1945 1949 |
1948 |
Note that the World Allround Championships of 1934 were unofficial.
World records
Over the course of her career, Lesche skated four world records:| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 m | 2:49.0 | 26 February 1933 | Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... |
| 1,000 m | 1:45.7 | 11 February 1934 | 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... |
| 5,000 m | 10:15.3 | 2 February 1936 | Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... |
| 5,000 m | 9:26.8 | 13 February 1949 | Kongsberg Kongsberg is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg.... |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Lesche skated her personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 50.5 | 12 February 1934 | 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... |
51.3 |
| 1,000 m | 1:44.9 | 31 January 1937 | 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... |
1:42.3 |
| 1,500 m | 2:43.2 | 17 February 1935 | Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... |
2:40.0 |
| 3,000 m | 5:32.5 | 12 February 1949 | Kongsberg Kongsberg is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg.... |
5:29.1 |
| 5,000 m | 9:26.8 | 13 February 1949 | Kongsberg Kongsberg is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg.... |
9:28.3 |
| Old 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... |
217.347 | 31 January 1937 | 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... |
none |
| 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... |
257.344 | 13 March 1932 | Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... |
none |
Note that Lesche's personal record on the 500 m was not a world record because Synnøve Lie
Synnøve Lie
Synnøve Lie was a Norwegian speed skater.-Biography:Representing Oslo Skøiteklub , Lie became Norwegian Allround Champion in 1933 after having already won the unofficial Norwegian Allround Championships the year before...
skated 50.3 at the same tournament. Also note that the old combination was not an official world record event, as governed by the International Skating Union
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...
, until 1949, and that the small combination was not an official world record event until 1983.
Lesche has an Adelskalender score of 217.896 points.
External links
- Verné Lesche at SkateResults.com
- Evert Stenlund's Adelskalender pages
- Verné Lesche. Deutsche Eisschnelllauf Gemeinschaft e.V. (German Skating Association).
- Historical World Records. International Skating Union.
- Medal Winners in World Allround Championships. International Skating Union.
- The Sweet 16:Heroines of Speedskating Who Changed the Game