Roald Edgar Aas (25 March 1928 – 18 February 2012) was a

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

and

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He was born in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. Aas was the number two speed skater in Norway through the entire 1950s—initially after

Hjalmar Andersen Hjalmar "Hjallis" Johan Andersen (12 March 1923 – 27 March 2013) was a speed skater from Norway who won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games of Oslo, Norway. He was the only triple gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics, and ...

, later after

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 W ...

. He became Norwegian champion once, in 1956, but finished second seven times. Aas participated in all international championships between 1951 and 1960, almost always finishing in the top ten. He 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, ...

in 1958, and at two

European Speed Skating Championships The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of long track speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe. History The International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the ...

, in 1957 and 1960. At the Oslo Winter Olympics, he won bronze on the 1500 m, while at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics in 1960, he finally won gold, shared with Yevgeny Grishin, also in 1500 m. Aas also was a successful cyclist, winning the 1956 Norwegian Championships in both

road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes recreational, racing, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, road cyclists are generally expected to obey the same laws as ...

and

track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it ...

. For his achievements as both a speed skater and a cyclist, Aas was awarded the prestigious

Egebergs Ærespris The Egebergs Ærespris ("Honorary Prize of Egeberg") is a prize awarded to Norwegian athletes who excel in more than one sport. The prize was created by Ferdinand Julian Egeberg, and consists of a bronze statuette modelled by sculptor Magnus Vigre ...

in 1956. Until 1956, Aas represented Oslo Idrettslag (''Oslo Sports Club'') – from 1957 on, he represented Oslo Skøiteklub (''Oslo Skating Club''). When he ended his skating career, he became a coach at Oslo Skøiteklub. After his retirement, he worked as a stock manager for Jordan Dental.

Medals

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

Personal records

To put these personal records in perspective, the ''WR'' column lists the official world records on the dates that Aas skated his personal records. Aas has an Adelskalender score of 185.337 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a thirteenth place.

References

External links

Roald Aas at SkateResults.com

Roald Aas
''Deutsche Eisschnelllauf Gemeinschaft e.V.'' (German Skating Association).

from the ''International Skating Union''
National Championships results
from ''Norges Skøyteforbund'' (the Norwegian Skating Association)
Roald Aas' obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aas, Roald 1928 births 2012 deaths Norwegian male speed skaters Olympic speed skaters of Norway Speed skaters at the 1952 Winter Olympics Speed skaters at the 1956 Winter Olympics Speed skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Norway Olympic bronze medalists for Norway Sportspeople from Oslo Olympic medalists in speed skating Medalists at the 1952 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists