Nils Egil Aaness (31 January 1936 – 24 December 2024) was a Norwegian

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors racing, race each other in travelling a certain distance on Ice skate, skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marath ...

who competed in the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Winter Olympics.

Biography

Aaness competed on the Norwegian national team from 1959 to 1965, and thus became part of the ''Norwegian speedskating revolution'' under the trainer

Stein Johnson Sten ("Stein") Jean Johnson (20 October 1921 – 28 April 2012) was a Norwegian speed skating trainer and Athletics (sport), athlete. He was born in Bergen and is the nephew of Sonja Johnsson. Johnson was a competitor in discus throw in the 1 ...

. His best season was 1962/1963, when he won silver at the Norwegian Allround Championships, skated a world record on the big combination one week later (in late January), became European Allround Champion in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

early February, and won bronze at the

World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world. The event is held over two days, with all skaters entering the first three distances (500 m, ...

Karuizawa is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Originally, there was a stage station ( ...

three weeks after that. Nils Aaness had his best years alongside

Knut Johannesen Knut ("Kupper'n") Johannesen (born 6 November 1933) is a former speed skater from Norway. Biography Born in Oslo and representing the skating club ASK (''Arbeidernes Skøyteklubb'' – later called ''Aktiv Skøyteklubb'') Johannesen won the Wo ...

, and usually ended up a good number two after him. Aaness won a total of three silver medals and one bronze medal at the Norwegian Championships – every time behind Johannesen. Aaness died on 24 December 2024, at the age of 88.

Medals

An overview of medals won by Aaness at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:

Records

World record

Over the course of his career, Aaness skated one

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

: Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com

Personal records

To put these personal records in perspective, the ''WR'' column lists the official world records on the dates that Aaness skated his personal records. Note that Aaness's personal record on the 5,000 m was not a world record because

skated 7:37.8 at the same tournament. Aaness has an Adelskalender score of 179.158 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a second place.

References

Nils Aaness at SpeedSkatingStats.com

Nils Aaness
''Deutsche Eisschnelllauf Gemeinschaft e.V.'' (German Skating Association).
Personal records from Jakub Majerski's Speedskating Database

Historical World Records
''International Skating Union''.
National Championships results
''Norges Skøyteforbund'' (the Norwegian Skating Association). {{DEFAULTSORT:Aaness, Nils 1936 births 2024 deaths World record setters in speed skating Norwegian male speed skaters Olympic speed skaters for Norway Speed skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics Speed skaters at the 1964 Winter Olympics World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists 20th-century Norwegian sportsmen