Åke Seyffarth
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Karl Åke•Seyffarth |
| Used name | Åke•Seyffarth |
| Born | 15 December 1919 in Stockholm, Stockholm (SWE) |
| Died | 1 January 1998 in Mora, Dalarna (SWE) |
| Affiliations | IF Linnéa, Stockholm (SWE) |
| NOC |  Sweden |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 1 |
| Silver | 1 |
| Bronze | 0 |
| Total | 2 |
Biography
One of the few active skaters during World War II, Åke Seyffarth set two official World Records (3,000 m and 5,000 m) in that period, both at Davos. These results put him on the top of the Adelskalender, the combined all-time best list, a position he held for 10 years. When international speed skating resumed in 1947, Seyffarth won the first event held, the European Championships, before his home crowd in Stockholm. A week later, he also won the bronze at the World Championships. His appearance at the Olympics in St. Moritz yielded two medals, a gold in the 10,000 m and a silver in the 1,500. Between 1940 and 1948, Seyffarth also won 22 Swedish distance titles, winning all four distances at the 1940 and 1948 editions. He was also a top cyclist, winning three Swedish titles in that sport in 1940-41.
Personal Bests: 500 – 43.2 (1942); 1500 – 2:14.2 (1942); 5000 – 8:13.7 (1941); 10000 – 17:07.5 (1942).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 Winter Olympics | Speed Skating (Skating) | SWE |
Åke Seyffarth | |||
| 500 metres, Men (Olympic) | =11 | |||||
| 1,500 metres, Men (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 5,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 7 | |||||
| 10,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 1 | Gold |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Led the Adelskalender (speed skating) (Allround – 4 February 1942 - 23 January 1952: 188.678 (4 February 1942; Davos, SUI))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Speed Skating (3000 m – 3 February 1942 - 24 January 1953: 4:45.7 (3 February 1942; Davos, SUI); 5000 m – 3 February 1941 - 5 February 1949: 8:13.7 (3 February 1941; Davos, SUI))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Speed Skating Championships (1–0–0 1947 Stockholm gold: Allround)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships (0–0–1 1947 Oslo bronze: Allround)