Eric Arthur Heiden is an American physician and a former long track speed skater, road cyclist and track cyclist. He won an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. Heiden was the most successful athlete at those Olympic Games, single-handedly winning more gold medals than all nations except for the Soviet Union (10) and East Germany (9). He is the most successful Winter Olympian from a single edition of any Winter Olympics. He delivered the Athlete's Oath at those same 1980 Games. His coach was Dianne Holum.
Adrianus "Ard" Schenk is a former speed skater from the Netherlands, who is considered to be one of the best in history. His first Olympic success came in 1968, when he won a silver medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics. Between 1970 and 1972 Winter Olympics, Schenk won three consecutive World Allround Speed Skating Championships. He won three gold medals at the 1972 Winter Olympics, becoming, along with Galina Kulakova of Soviet Union, the most successful athlete there.
Cornelis Arie "Kees" Verkerk is a former speed skater from the Netherlands.
Sven Kramer is a retired Dutch long track speed skater who has won an all-time record nine World Allround Championships as well as a record ten European Allround Championships. He is the Olympic champion of the 5000 meters at the Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, and won a record 21 gold medals at the World Single Distance Championships; eight in the 5000 meters, five in the 10,000 meters, and eight in the team pursuit. Kramer used to be the world record holder in the team pursuit and broke the world records in the 5000 meter and 10,000 meter events three times. By winning the 2010 World Allround Championship, Kramer became the first speed skater in history to win four consecutive world allround championships and eight consecutive international all round championships. He was undefeated in the 18 international allround championships he participated in from the 2006/2007 season until the 2016/2017 season. From November 2007 to March 2009, he was ranked first in the Adelskalender, but despite his dominance as an all-round skater he has since been overtaken on that list by Shani Davis and, more recently, by his teammate Patrick Roest and Jordan Stolz.
Irene Karlijn (Ireen) Wüst is a Dutch former long track speed skater of German ancestry. Wüst became the most successful speed skating Olympian ever by achieving at least one gold medal in each of five consecutive Winter Olympic appearances. Wüst is the second athlete to win a gold medal at five consecutive Olympics, Summer or Winter, and the first to do so in individual events.
Christina ("Stien") Wilhelmina Baas-Kaiser was a Dutch speed skater.
Hendrik ("Henk") van der Grift is a retired Dutch speed skater.
Viktor Ivanovich Kosichkin was a speed skater who competed for the Soviet Union.
The International Skating Union has organised the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1893. Unofficial Championships were held in the years 1889–1892.
Carolina ("Carry") Cornelia Catharina Geijssen is a former speed skater from the Netherlands.
Yuri Matveyevich Mikhaylov was a speed skater who competed for the Soviet Union.
Julius Ferninand Skutnabb was a Finnish speed skater. A fireman by profession, he made his international debut at the World Allround Championships in 1914, but his international career was interrupted by World War I. He kept competing nationally, becoming the Finnish Allround Champion in 1914, 1916, and 1917. International activity resumed in 1922 and Skutnabb, already 32 years old, finished fifth at the World Allround Championships that year. After placing sixth at the world championships the following year, his best year came in 1924.
Erling Martin Jonny Nilsson was a Swedish competitive speed skater. He was the men's Olympic champion in the 10 000 m skating in 1964.
Per Willy Guttormsen is a former Norwegian speed skater and cyclist. He was among the world's best long distance skaters in the 1960s.
Rolf Göran Claeson is a former speed skater from Sweden.
Roar Grønvold is a former speed skater from Norway.
Jan Bols is a former Dutch long track speed skater. Bols was among the top all-rounders in the late 60s and early 70s, this period overlapped the glory days of Kees Verkerk and Ard Schenk, so that he tends to be known as the third best Dutch skater of his time.
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men took place on 13 and 14 February 1971 in Göteborg at the Ullevi ice rink.
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men took place on 19 and 20 February 1972 in Oslo at the Bislett stadion ice rink.
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men took place on 11 and 12 February in Oslo at the Bislett Stadium ice rink.
