1,500 metres, Women

Prior to the 1963-64 season, it was felt that only one woman could challenge Lidiya Skoblikova in the longer distances and that woman was her teammate, Inga Voronina. Voronina had won the 1,500 at the 1962 World Championships, and the 3,000 at the 1961 and 1962 Worlds, and held the world record of 2:19.0, set at Medeo in 1962. But she was not in Innsbruck, not being chosen for the Soviet team due to a stomach ailment. In her absence, the gold was conceded to Skoblikova, who had won the 1963 World Championships, and won all four distances on her way to the title. She had already won the 500 in Innsbruck.

In the second pair, Soviet skater Berta Kolokoltseva finished in 2:27.1 to take the lead. That would lead until the seventh pair when Finland’s Kaija Mustonen finished in 2:25.5. That was somewhat surprising as, prior to 1964, Mustonen had never made the podium at any distance in a major international tournament, although she had finished third in a pre-Olympic test 1,500 on 26 January, behind Skoblikova and Valentina Stenina. Skoblikova started in the 10th pair. She was equal to Kolokoltseva and Mustonen thru 700 metres, but was two seconds ahead at 1,100 metres, and won by almost three seconds, finishing in 2:22.6. This was Skoblikova’s fourth Olympic gold medal, after two in 1960 at Squaw Valley. Mustonen’s silver medal was unexpected but she would return the next day to win a bronze in the 1,000, and four years later, in Grenoble, she returned to win the gold medal in this event. As to Kolokoltseva, well, this was it. As far as is known, she never competed again outside the Soviet Union.