Nils Aaness

Nils Aaness was a Norwegian speed skater who had his best results during the first half of the 1960s. Aaness first represented his country in 1959 and earned a place on the Olympic team for the following year. At the 1960 Squaw Valley Games he competed in both the 500 and 1,500 metres but did not finish in the latter. One year later he finished as the runner-up at the Norwegian All-round Championships, a feat he would repeat again in 1962 and 1963. The 1962/63 season would prove to be his best, with him becoming the European All-round Champion and winning bronze at the World All-round Championships. In January 1963 Aaness set a world record in the Big Combination, a point scoring system used in the sport, with him winning the annual Oscar Mathisen Award as a result. In 1964 he competed in the 1,500 metres at the Innsbruck Olympics where he finished 16th.

Personal Bests: 500 – 41.6 (1963); 1500 – 2:10.6 (1960); 5000 – 7:42.8 (1963); 10000 – 15:54.9 (1963).