Colin Coates

As of 2008, Colin Coates is one of the 14 athletes to have compete in 6 Winter Olympics. He was the first speed skater to accomplish this feat, competing in 6 consecutive Games between 1968 and 1988. Coates had retired after the 1984 Olympics to become a coach, but confronted with the fast indoor oval at Calgary, he decided to compete in the 10,000 m event and try to beat his personal best. Because Australia was only allotted one spot, he replaced his pupil, Danny Kah, who instead coached his 41-year-old coach in this race. A long distance specialist, Coates’s best Olympic performance came in 1976, when he finished 6th in the 10k. Outside of the Games, he reached the final distance of the World Championships on eight occasions in the 1970s. His best result came in 1973, when he placed 11th after a 4th place in the 10,000.

Personal Bests: 500 – 40.14 (1976); 1000 – 1:19.47 (1976); 1500 – 2:00.79 (1979); 5000 – 7:12.95 (1984); 10000 – 14:41.88 (1988).