Ivar Ballangrud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ivar Ballangrud

Ballangrud at his skating store in 1949
Personal information
Born	(1904-03-07)7 March 1904 Lunner, Norway
Died	1 June 1969(1969-06-01) (aged 65) Trondheim, Norway
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Sport
Country	Norway
Sport	Speed skating
Club	Oslo SK Drammens SK
Retired	1939
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	500 m – 42.7 (1939) 1500 m – 2:14.0 (1939) 5000 m – 8:17.2 (1936) 10,000 m – 17:14.4 (1938)
Medal record Representing  Norway Olympic Games Gold 1928 St. Moritz 5000 m Gold 1936 Garmisch-P. 500 m Gold 1936 Garmisch-P. 5000 m Gold 1936 Garmisch-P. 10,000 m Silver 1932 Lake Placid 10,000 m Silver 1936 Garmisch-P. 1500 m Bronze 1928 St. Moritz 1500 m World Allround Championships Gold 1926 Trondheim Allround Gold 1932 Lake Placid Allround Gold 1936 Davos Allround Gold 1938 Davos Allround Silver 1928 Davos Allround Silver 1929 Oslo Allround Silver 1930 Oslo Allround Silver 1935 Oslo Allround Bronze 1931 Helsinki Allround Bronze 1933 Trondheim Allround Bronze 1934 Helsinki Allround European Championships Gold 1929 Davos Allround Gold 1930 Trondheim Allround Gold 1933 Viipuri Allround Gold 1936 Oslo Allround Bronze 1927 Stockholm Allround Bronze 1938 Oslo Allround

Ivar Eugen Ballangrud was a super-fast Norwegian speed skater. He was born on March 7, 1904, and passed away on June 1, 1969. Ivar became a four-time Olympic champion in speed skating. At the 1936 Winter Olympics, he won three gold medals. This made him the most successful athlete at those games!

Meet Ivar Ballangrud: The Speed Skating Star

Ivar Ballangrud was one of the best speed skaters in the world for 15 years. His amazing career lasted from 1924 to 1939. He came from a small place called Lunner in Norway. Ivar was part of a famous group known as the "Hadeland Trio." This trio included him, Michael Staksrud, and Hans Engnestangen. They were all from the Hadeland area and were very talented skaters. Ivar skated for the Trondhjems Skating Club.

Ivar's Amazing Wins

Ivar Ballangrud won many important titles during his career. He was a World Allround Champion four times. He also became a European Allround Champion four times. On top of that, he won the Norwegian Allround Championship five times.

His biggest achievements were at the Winter Olympics. He won four Olympic gold medals! At the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, he won three gold medals. These were for the 500 m, 5000 m, and 10,000 m races. He also won a silver medal in the 1500 m race at those same Olympics. His teammate Charles Mathiesen was the only one who stopped him from winning all four speed skating events.

Ivar had won his first Olympic gold medal eight years earlier. This was in the 5000 m race at the 1928 Winter Olympics. He also earned a bronze medal in the 1500 m race in 1928. At the 1932 Winter Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 10,000 m. He might have won more gold in 1932. However, those races were held in the American "pack-style" way. This meant all skaters were on the ice at the same time, which was different from the usual European style.

Starting His Skating Journey

Ivar made his first international appearance as a young star in 1924. He was only 19 years old. It was too late for him to compete in the Winter Olympics that year. However, he raced against Julius Skutnabb at his first World Championships in Helsinki in 1924. Skutnabb had just won the Olympic 10,000 m title. Ivar beat the champion on his home ground!

In 1930, Ivar took over the top spot on the Adelskalender. This is a special list that ranks speed skaters based on their personal best times across different distances. He stayed at the number one spot for seven years.

Beyond the Ice Rink

Ivar Ballangrud was born as Ivar Eriksen. His mother changed his last name to Ballangrud when she remarried after his father passed away. After he retired from skating in 1939, Ivar worked in his own sporting goods store. First, he had a store in Drammen, and later in Trondheim. There is a statue in his honor in his hometown of Jevnaker.

Ivar Ballangrud's Skating Records

Ivar Ballangrud set many impressive records during his career. Here's a look at some of his fastest times.

World Records Set by Ivar

Throughout his career, Ivar Ballangrud set five official world records. A world record is the fastest time ever recorded for a specific distance.

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Ivar also skated a very fast 10,000 m time of 16:46.4 in a test race in 1932. This was 31 seconds faster than the world record at that time! This time remained the fastest 10,000 m time for twenty years. It was finally beaten by Hjalmar Andersen in 1952.

Ivar's Personal Best Times

These are Ivar Ballangrud's personal best times for different distances. The "Notes" column shows what the official world record was on the day Ivar set his personal best.

Source: EvertStenlund.se

It's interesting to note that Ivar's personal best time for the 1500 m was not a world record. This is because Hans Engnestangen skated an even faster time of 2:13.8 at the same competition!

Ivar Ballangrud was ranked number one on the Adelskalender for a total of 3,675 days. This was split into two periods between 1930 and 1942.

Ivar Ballangrud's Medals

Here is a summary of the medals Ivar Ballangrud won at major championships. It shows the years he won each medal.

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com & Skoyteforbundet.no