View source for Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox Olympic event
| event       = Speed skating
| games       = 1968 Winter
| image       = Speed skating pictogram.svg
| image_size  = 80px
| caption     = Pictogram for speed skating
| alt         = Refer to caption
| venue       = [[L'Anneau de Vitesse]]
| date        = 4–12 February 1968
| num_events  = 8
| competitors = 129
| nations     = 19
| prev        = [[Speed skating at the 1964 Winter Olympics|1964]]
| next        = [[Speed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics|1972]]
}}
{{Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics}}
[[Speed skating]] at the [[1968 Winter Olympics]], was held from 4 to 12 February. Eight events were contested at [[L'Anneau de Vitesse]] in [[Grenoble]], France.<ref name=OfficialReport>{{cite web
| title       = Rapport Officiel Xes Jeux Olympiques D'Hiver 1968 Grenoble
| url         = http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/or1968.pdf
| publisher   = LA84 Foundation
| work          = Comité d'organisation des Xemes jeux olympiques d'hiver
| year        = 1968
| access-date  = 28 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="SR">{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1968/SSK/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417054732/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1968/SSK/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Speed Skating at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Games |work=Sports Reference |access-date=28 October 2019}}</ref>

==Medal summary==

===Medal table===
{{Medals table
 | caption        = 
 | host           = 
 | flag_template  = flagIOCteam
 | event          = 1968 Winter
 | team           = 
 | gold_NED = 3 | silver_NED = 3 | bronze_NED = 3
 | gold_NOR = 1 | silver_NOR = 3 | bronze_NOR = 0
 | gold_URS = 1 | silver_URS = 1 | bronze_URS = 0
 | gold_FIN = 1 | silver_FIN = 1 | bronze_FIN = 0
 | gold_SWE = 1 | silver_SWE = 0 | bronze_SWE = 1
 | gold_FRG = 1 | silver_FRG = 0 | bronze_FRG = 0
 | gold_USA = 0 | silver_USA = 4 | bronze_USA = 1
}}

The Netherlands topped the medal table, with nine medals, three of each type. Three tied events meant that only five bronze medals were awarded. The gold medal won by [[Erhard Keller]] was the first medal in speedskating for West Germany as a separate country.

Five athletes shared the top of the individual medal table, with one gold and one silver each: [[Kees Verkerk]] and [[Carry Geijssen]] of the Netherlands, Finland's [[Kaija Mustonen]], the Soviet Union's [[Lyudmila Titova]] and Norway's [[Fred Anton Maier]].

Three American female skaters were tied for a silver in the women's 500 meters, all showing the same time.

===Men's events===

{| {{MedalistTable|type=Event|columns=2}}
|-valign="top"
| 500 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's 500 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Erhard Keller]]|FRG|1968 Winter}} || 40.3
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Terry McDermott (speed skater)|Terry McDermott]]|USA|1968 Winter}} <br/> {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Magne Thomassen]]|NOR|1968 Winter}} || 40.5
| ''None awarded'' || 
|-valign="top"
| 1500 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's 1500 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Kees Verkerk]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 2:03.4<br /><small>(OR)</small>
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Ivar Eriksen]]|NOR|1968 Winter}} <br/> {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Ard Schenk]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 2:05.0
| ''None awarded'' || 
|-valign="top"
| 5000 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's 5000 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Fred Anton Maier]]|NOR|1968 Winter}} || 7:22.4<br /><small>(WR)</small>
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Kees Verkerk]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 7:23.2
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Peter Nottet]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 7:25.5
|-valign="top"
| 10,000 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's 10,000 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Johnny Höglin]]|SWE|1968 Winter}} || 15:23.6<br /><small>(OR)</small>
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Fred Anton Maier]]|NOR|1968 Winter}} || 15:23.9
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Örjan Sandler]]|SWE|1968 Winter}} || 15:31.8
|}

===Women's events===

{| {{MedalistTable|type=Event|columns=2}}
|-valign="top"
| 500 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Women's 500 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Lyudmila Titova]]|URS|1968 Winter}} || 46.1
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Jenny Fish]]|USA|1968 Winter}} <br/> {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Dianne Holum]]|USA|1968 Winter}} <br/> {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Mary Meyers]]|USA|1968 Winter}} || 46.3
| ''None awarded'' || 
|-valign="top"
| 1000 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Women's 1000 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Carry Geijssen]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 1:32.6<br /><small>(OR)</small>
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Lyudmila Titova]]|URS|1968 Winter}} || 1:32.9
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Dianne Holum]]|USA|1968 Winter}} || 1:33.4
|-valign="top"
| 1500 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Women's 1500 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Kaija Mustonen]]|FIN|1968 Winter}} || 2:22.4<br /><small>(OR)</small>
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Carry Geijssen]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 2:22.7
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Stien Kaiser]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 2:24.5
|-valign="top"
| 3000 metres <br>{{DetailsLink|Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres}}
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Ans Schut]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 4:56.2<br /><small>(OR)</small>
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Kaija Mustonen]]|FIN|1968 Winter}} || 5:01.0
|{{flagIOCmedalist|[[Stien Kaiser]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 5:01.3
|}

==Records==

One world record and six Olympic records were set at Grenoble. The only Olympic records not broken were in the two shortest events, the men's and women's 500 metres.<ref name=ISUWR>{{cite web
| title       = ISU - Speed Skating - Records - World Records
| url         = http://www.isu.html.infostradasports.com/cache/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D103171&SportID%3D103&RecordtypeID%3D10&StadiumID%3D-1&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?328731
| work          = International Skating Union
| access-date  = 29 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=ISUOlyR>{{cite web
| title       = ISU - Speed Skating - Records - Olympic Records
| url         = http://www.isu.html.infostradasports.com/cache/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D103171&SportID%3D103&RecordtypeID%3D3&StadiumID%3D-1&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?317012
| work          = International Skating Union
| access-date  = 29 January 2014}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Event !! Date!! Team !! Time !! OR !! WR
|-
| [[Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's 1500 metres|Men's 1500 metres]] || 16 February || {{flagIOCathlete|[[Kees Verkerk]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 2:03.4 || OR ||
|-
| [[Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's 5000 metres|Men's 5000 metres]] || 15 February || {{flagIOCathlete|[[Fred Anton Maier]]|NOR|1968 Winter}} || 7:22.4 || OR || WR
|-
| [[Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Men's 10,000 metres|Men's 10,000 metres]] || 17 February || {{flagIOCathlete|[[Johnny Höglin]]|SWE|1968 Winter}} || 15:23.6 || OR ||
|-
| [[Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Women's 1000 metres|Women's 1000 metres]] || 11 February || {{flagIOCathlete|[[Carry Geijssen]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 1:32.6 || OR ||
|-
| [[Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Women's 1500 metres|Women's 1500 metres]] || 10 February || {{flagIOCathlete|[[Kaija Mustonen]]|FIN|1968 Winter}} || 2:22.4 || OR ||
|-
| [[Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres|Women's 3000 metres]] || 12 February || {{flagIOCathlete|[[Ans Schut]]|NED|1968 Winter}} || 4:56.2 || OR ||
|}

==Participating NOCs==

Nineteen nations competed in the speed skating events at Grenoble. East and West Germany made their debuts as separate teams.

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagIOC|AUS|1968 Winter|1}}
* {{flagIOC|AUT|1968 Winter|3}}
* {{flagIOC|CAN|1968 Winter|7}}
* {{flagIOC|FIN|1968 Winter|8}}
* {{flagIOC|FRA|1968 Winter|5}}
* {{flagIOC|GDR|1968 Winter|1}}
* {{flagIOC|FRG|1968 Winter|8}}
* {{flagIOC|GBR|1968 Winter|5}}
* {{flagIOC|HUN|1968 Winter|3}}
* {{flagIOC|ITA|1968 Winter|4}}
* {{flagIOC|JPN|1968 Winter|12}}
* {{flagIOC|KOR|1968 Winter|2}}
* {{flagIOC|MGL|1968 Winter|3}}
* {{flagIOC|NED|1968 Winter|9}}
* {{flagIOC|NOR|1968 Winter|13}}
* {{flagIOC|URS|1968 Winter|16}}
* {{flagIOC|SWE|1968 Winter|11}}
* {{flagIOC|SUI|1968 Winter|3}}
* {{flagIOC|USA|1968 Winter|15}}
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Events at the 1968 Winter Olympics}}
{{Speed skating at the Winter Olympics}}

[[Category:Speed skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics| ]]
[[Category:Events at the 1968 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Speed skating at the Winter Olympics|1968]]
[[Category:1968 in speed skating]]
[[Category:International speed skating competitions hosted by France|Olympics, 1968]]