Haakon Pedersen

Haakon Pedersen was a 500 metre specialist and one of the world’s leading speed skating sprinters of his time. At the 1928 World Championships in Davos, one week before the Olympics, he came second in the 500 metres with a personal best of 43.4, beaten only by his fellow countryman, Roald Larsen. At the Olympics Pedersen skated 43.8 – only 0.4 seconds behind the winner, but had to be content with sixth place. At the packstyle races in Lake Placid in 1932 he was eliminated in the first round. Pedersen won the 500 metres at the World Championships on three occasions – 1930, 1932 and 1934. From 1935 he skated for the Worker’s Sport Association, and was European Workers Champion in 1936. In March 1936 he skated a personal best of 42.6 at a Worker’s meeting in Trondheim, but he was not eligible to be selected for the 1936 Olympics. As late as 1940 he won the 500 metres at the Norwegian Worker’s Championships with the excellent time of 43.6. After World War II he worked several years as a speed skating coach for the Norwegian Skating Association.

Personal Bests: 500 – 42.6 (1936); 1500 – 2:20.5 (1936); 5000 – 8:38.0 (1936); 10000 – 18:14.2 (1936).