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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 2 June 1908 Tingelstad,Norway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 10 November 1940 (aged 32) Gjersjøen, Norway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Speed skating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbest(s) | 500 m – 42.8 (1937) 1500 m – 2:14.4 (1939) 5000 m – 8:19.9 (1933) 10,000 m – 17:23.2 (1928)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Michael Staksrud (2 June 1908 – 10 November 1940) was aNorwegian World Champion inspeed skating.
Born inGran, in the district ofHadeland, Staksrud started his speed skating career atHamar Idrettslag (Hamar Sports Club). From 1937 onward, he representedOslo Skøiteklub (Oslo Skating Club). Together withIvar Ballangrud andHans Engnestangen, he formed the famousHadeland Trio, three Norwegians who dominated both Norwegian and international speed skating in the 1930s. Seven of the nineWorld Allround Championships between 1930 and 1938, and six of the nineEuropean Allround Championships between 1929 and 1937 were won by a member of this Hadeland Trio, with Staksrud himself winning three World titles and two European titles.
Another illustration of the domination of the Hadeland Trio was the 1,500 m event at a tournament inDavos on 29 January 1939. Staksrud entered that tournament as the world record holder on that distance with a time of 2:14.9. He was paired with Ballangrud and skated 2:14.4, faster than his world record time, but Ballangrud had finished 0.4 seconds earlier in a time of 2:14.0. However, neither of them became the new world record holder, because Engnestangen skated 2:13.8 in his race.
Although Staksrud participated in several events at theWinter Olympic Games of 1928, 1932, and 1936, he never won any Olympic medals. In 1940, Staksrud drowned at the age of 32. Some of his family members were helping the Germans, and it was speculated that Staksrud was killed, but apparently it was an accident – he fell intoGjersjøen lake, hit a stone with his head, lost consciousness and drowned. However, his elder brother Paul, who was also a speed skater and died in the 1940s, was probably shot by the Norwegian resistance.[1]
Over the course of his career, Staksrud skated twoworld records:
| Discipline | Time | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 m | 4.59,1 | 25 February 1933 | Hamar |
| 1500 m | 2.14,9 | 31 January 1937 | Davos |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[2]
To put these personal records in perspective, theWR column lists the official world records on the dates that Staksrud skated his personal records.
| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 42.8 | 30 January 1937 | Davos | 42.4 |
| 1,000 m | 1:32.3 | 3 February 1929 | Hamar | 1:31.8 |
| 1,500 m | 2:14.4 | 29 January 1939 | Davos | 2:14.9 |
| 3,000 m | 4:55.2 | 30 January 1937 | Davos | 4:49.6 |
| 5,000 m | 8:19.9 | 4 February 1933 | Hamar | 8:19.2 |
| 10,000 m | 17:23.2 | 5 February 1928 | Davos | 17:22.6 |
Note that Staksrud's personal record on the 1,500 m was not a world record becauseHans Engnestangen skated 2:13.8 at the same tournament.
Staksrud has anAdelskalender score of 189.750 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a first place, which he held for a total of 728 days between 1937 and 1939.
