Johann Olav Koss facts for kids
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 29 October 1968 Drammen, Norway |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Speed skating | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 500 m: 37.98 (1994) 1000 m: 1:14.9 (1993) 1500 m: 1:51.29 (1994) 3000 m: 3:57.52 (1990) 5000 m: 6:34.96 (1994) 10 000 m: 13:30.55 (1994) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Johann Olav Koss (born October 29, 1968) is a famous former speed skater from Norway. He is best known for winning four gold medals at the Winter Olympics. Three of these gold medals were won at the 1994 Winter Olympics in his home country.
Contents
Life and Career
Johann Olav Koss was born in Drammen, Norway. He started his speed skating journey early. In 1987, he became the Norwegian Junior Champion.
Early Career and Breakthrough
Koss began competing with senior skaters in 1988. His big moment came in 1990 when he won the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. This was a huge step in his career.
Over the next four years, he won two more world titles in 1991 and 1994. He also finished second in 1993 and third in 1992. He won the European Allround Championships in 1991. He also won four overall World Cup titles.
Olympic Success
Koss first competed in the Winter Olympics in 1992. He had just had surgery for a health issue, but he still managed to win. He earned a gold medal in the 1,500 m race. He won by a tiny margin of only 0.04 seconds! He also won a silver medal in the 10,000 m race.
The year 1994 was the last year of his speed skating career. It was also his most famous year. He won three gold medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics held in Norway. He set new world records in all three races. Two of these records lasted for many years.
For his amazing performance, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year in 1994. He also received the Oscar Mathisen Award three times. This award is given to the best speed skater of the year.
Life After Skating
After retiring from speed skating, Koss went to medical school. He became a physician after studying at the University of Queensland in Australia.
He also became an ambassador for UNICEF. This means he helped promote UNICEF's work for children around the world. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee for a few years.
In 2000, Koss started an organization called Right To Play. This group uses sport and play to help children and young people. They work in many countries to support kids in disadvantaged areas. Right To Play helps over one million children every week. It has many staff and volunteer coaches worldwide. Koss is still very involved with the organization as its founder.
Koss has received special honors for his work. He has Honorary Doctorates from several universities. In 2015, he was made an Honorary Member of the Order of Canada. This is a very high honor in Canada. In 2018, he was honored by the Olympians for Life project for using sport to make the world a better place.
Johann Olav Koss is married to Jennifer Lee. They have four children together: Aksel, Annabelle, Andreas, and Aleksander.
Medals and Achievements
Here is a list of the medals Johann Olav Koss won at major championships:
| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 1992 (1,500 m) 1994 (1,500 m) 1994 (5,000 m) 1994 (10,000 m) |
1992 (10,000 m) | – |
| World Allround | 1990 1991 1994 |
1993 | 1992 |
| World Cup | 1990 (1,500 m) 1991 (1,500 m) 1991 (5,000 m / 10,000 m) 1994 (5,000 m / 10,000 m) |
1992 (1,500 m) 1992 (5,000 m / 10,000 m) 1993 (5,000 m / 10,000 m) |
1990 (5,000 m / 10,000 m) |
| European Allround | 1991 | 1992 1993 1994 |
– |
| Norwegian Allround | 1991 1992 1993 1994 |
1989 1990 |
– |
| Norwegian Single Distance | 1989 (1,500 m) 1989 (5,000 m) 1990 (1,500 m) 1990 (5,000 m) 1990 (10,000 m) 1991 (1,500 m) 1991 (5,000 m) 1991 (10,000 m) 1993 (1,000 m) 1993 (5,000 m) 1994 (1,500 m) |
1989 (1,000 m) 1990 (1,000 m) 1992 (1,000 m) 1992 (5,000 m) |
1988 (10,000 m) 1991 (1,000 m) 1992 (1,500 m) 1994 (5,000 m) |
| Norwegian Marathon | – | 1988 | – |
Records
World Records
Koss set ten world records during his career:
| Event | Time | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 m | 3.57,52 | 13 March 1990 | Heerenveen |
| 5000 m | 6.41,73 | 9 February 1991 | Heerenveen |
| 10,000 m | 13.43,54 | 10 February 1991 | Heerenveen |
| Big combination | 157.396 | 10 February 1991 | Heerenveen |
| 5000 m | 6.38,77 | 22 January 1993 | Heerenveen |
| 5000 m | 6.36,57 | 13 March 1993 | Heerenveen |
| 5000 m | 6.35,53 | 4 December 1993 | Hamar |
| 5000 m | 6.34,96 | 13 February 1994 | Hamar |
| 1500 m | 1.51,29 | 16 February 1994 | Hamar |
| 10,000 m | 13.30,55 | 20 February 1994 | Hamar |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com
Personal Records
These are Koss's best times in different races. The "WR" column shows what the world record was on the day he set his personal best.
| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 37.98 | 7 January 1994 | Hamar | 35.92 |
| 1,000 m | 1:14.9 | 10 January 1993 | Hamar | 1:12.58 |
| 1,500 m | 1:51.29 | 16 February 1994 | Hamar | 1:51.60 |
| 3,000 m | 3:57.52 | 13 March 1990 | Heerenveen | 3:59.27 |
| 5,000 m | 6:34.96 | 13 February 1994 | Hamar | 6:35.53 |
| 10,000 m | 13:30.55 | 20 February 1994 | Hamar | 13:43.54 |
| Big combination | 157.257 | 9 January 1994 | Hamar | 156.882 |
Source: SpeedskatingResults.com
Koss was ranked number one on the Adelskalender for a total of 1,998 days. The Adelskalender is a ranking of the best speed skaters of all time.
See also
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
