Johnny Höglin was a very surprising Olympic 10,000 m champion at Grenoble in 1968 when he beat the favorite, Fred Anton Maier, by 3/10ths of a second with a fast final lap. Placing fifth in both the 1,500 m and 5,000 m earlier in the Olympics, Höglin had already performed better than expected. In 1968 and 1969 he placed sixth at the World Championships, but his Olympic gold was his only international podium position in his entire amateur speed skating career. In Swedish Championships, Höglin won the all-around title in 1968, while earning distance titles in the 1,500 m (1968, 1972) and 5,000 m (1968). He turned professional in 1973 and 1974, without much success. His professional activities caused him to be blacklisted by the Swedish federation, but he was later allowed to become a youth coach.
Personal Bests: 500 – 40.3 (1970); 1000 – 1:21.3 (1970); 1500 – 2:02.1 (1972); 5000 – 7:26.0 (1972); 10000 – 15:23.6 (1968).
Sweden