Oscar Mathisen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Oscar Mathisen

Mathisen in 1938
Personal information
Born	(1888-10-04)4 October 1888 Kristiania, Norway
Died	10 April 1954(1954-04-10) (aged 65) Norway
Sport
Country	Norway
Sport	Speed skating
Retired	1916
Medal record Representing  Norway World Championships Gold 1908 Davos Allround Gold 1909 Kristiania Allround Gold 1912 Kristiania Allround Gold 1913 Helsinki Allround Gold 1914 Kristiania Allround Silver 1910 Helsinki Allround European Championships Gold 1909 Budapest Allround Gold 1912 Hamar Allround Gold 1914 Berlin Allround Silver 1908 Klagenfurt Allround Silver 1913 Saint Petersburg Allround Bronze 1910 Viipuri Allround

Mathisen in 1914

Mathisen in 1909

Oscar Wilhelm Mathisen (born 4 October 1888 – died 10 April 1954) was an amazing Norwegian speed skater. He was so famous that he was almost as well-known as explorers like Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen. These people became symbols for Norway, which had just become an independent country in 1905. Oscar Mathisen skated for Kristiania Skøiteklub, which is now called Oslo Skøiteklub.

The Early Life of a Skating Star

Oscar Mathisen was born in Kristiania, which is now known as Oslo. He was the youngest of seven children in his family. His parents were Carl Anton Mathisen and Pauline Mathisen. Oscar had five older brothers and two older sisters. One of his brothers, Sigurd Mathisen, was also a speed skater.

Oscar became the National Champion in Norway when he was just 18 years old in 1907. The very next year, he won the title of World Champion. This was a huge achievement, especially since he fell during the 500 meter race! His brother Sigurd had also been a World Champion four years earlier.

Oscar Mathisen's Amazing Career

During his time as a speed skater, Oscar Mathisen set an incredible 14 world records. One of his most famous records was for the 1,500 meter race in 1914. This record stood for 23 years, which is a very long time!

The day before he set that 1,500 meter record, he broke Jaap Eden's world record for the 5,000 meter race. This meant that Oscar Mathisen held the world record for all speed skating distances at that time. He won the World Allround Champion title five times. This was a record that no one broke until 2013, when Sven Kramer achieved it. Oscar also won the European Allround Champion title three times.

After World War I, Oscar Mathisen decided to become a professional skater. He won the Professional World Champion title in 1920. He continued to skate professionally until 1929. In his last year of skating, when he was 40 years old, he visited Davos. People there were getting ready for the European Championships. Oscar showed everyone he could still skate incredibly fast. He even beat the world record times for both the 500 meter and 1,000 meter races! However, his times were not officially recognized as new world records because he was a professional skater.

Oscar Mathisen was always known for being a true sportsman. He was respectful to other skaters, even when they beat him. He also showed great respect for top skaters who came after him.

Honoring a Skating Legend

In 1959, a statue of Oscar Mathisen was put up outside Frogner stadion in Oslo. This was a special place for him, as he had won many of his championships there.

Since 1959, a special award called the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy is given out every year. It goes to the speed skater who has the most outstanding performance of the season. This award helps keep Oscar Mathisen's memory and his amazing achievements alive.

Oscar Mathisen's Medals

Here is a look at the medals Oscar Mathisen won at important championships:

Sources: SpeedSkatingStats.com & Skoyteforbundet.no

World Records Set by Oscar

Oscar Mathisen set 14 official world records during his career. Here are the details:

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Oscar's Personal Best Times

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

Source: EvertStenlund.se

It's important to know that Oscar's personal best times for the 500 meter and 1,000 meter races were not counted as official world records. This is because he was a professional skater when he achieved those times. The International Skating Union (ISU) only recognized records set by amateur skaters at that time.

For almost all of these personal bests, Oscar's time was faster than the official world record at that moment. In many cases, he already held the world record himself! The 3,000 meter race was not an official world record event until 1932. Interestingly, the first two official world records for the 3,000 meters were actually slower than Oscar's personal best time. It wasn't until 1935 that an official world record for the 3,000 meters finally beat Oscar's personal best.

Oscar Mathisen also held the top spot on the Adelskalender for an amazing 7,649 days. The Adelskalender is a ranking system for speed skaters. This is more than twice as long as anyone else has held the top spot! The next person on the list, Ivar Ballangrud, held it for 3,675 days.