Per Ivar Moe

Per Ivar Moe was the wonderboy of Norwegian speed skating during the “skating revolution” in 1963. Born in Lillehammer, he later moved to Oslo. He was selected for the national team in April 1962, and started training according to the training principles introduced by the new national team coach, Stein Johnson. At 18 he won a bronze medal in his first international championship, the 1963 European Championships. The next year he lost an Olympic gold medal in the 5,000 m by a mere 0.2 seconds. Moe had been in the lead most of the competition, but Knut Johannesen closed in at the end of the duel. When Johannesen crossed the finishing line, the scoreboard showed 7:38.7, one tenth behind Moe. Johannesen closed his eyes in resignation, and for a split second Moe thought he was Olympic champion. When Johannesen opened his eyes, the time had been corrected: 7:38.4, and Moe had lost the gold. In 1965, at the age of 20, Moe became World Champion, and the first Norwegian speed skater to win that title at Bislett. After a disappointing season in 1966 he quit speed skating to concentrate on his studies. In 1964, Moe was the first to beat Knut Johannesen in the Norwegian Championships in eight years. In 1965 he was awarded the Oscar Mathisen Trophy. Outside of skating, Moe worked in Oslo as a bank manager until his retirement.

Personal Bests: 500 – 41.6 (1963); 1500 – 2:06.9 (1966); 5000 – 7:38.6 (1964); 10000 – 15:47.8 (1964).