Yury Sergeyev

After having served in the military during World War II, Yury Sergeyev began his speed skating career as an all-rounder, but soon came to specialize in the shorter, sprint distances. On January 6, 1952, he set a world record in the 500 metres with a time of 41.7 seconds and, between then and January 19, 1955, reset the record three more times, lowering it to 40.8. This final record lasted until January 22, 1956, when it was bested by his compatriot, the soon-to-be quadruple Olympic gold medalist Yevgeny Grishin.

Sergeyev participated in only one Olympic event, the 500 meters in 1956, where he finished fourth in a race won by Grishin. Another Soviet, Rafael Grach, took silver, and Sergeyev was only 0.1 seconds behind the bronze medalist Alv Gjestvang of Norway. Sergeyev retired from active competition shortly thereafter and later became a well-known coach in the Moscow area.

Personal Bests: 500 – 40.4 (1956); 1500 – 2:14.4 (1952); 5000 – 8:37.9 (1951); 10000 – 18:12.7 (1951).