Sigurd Valdemar Mathisen (26 April 1883 – 4 March 1919) was a Norwegian speed skater, world champion and world record holder over 500 m. He was an older brother of Oscar Mathisen.
Early life Sigurd Valdemar Mathisen was born on April 26, 1883. His parents taught all their children how to skate. It paid off, as both Mathisen and his brother Oscar became professional speed skaters.
Career Mathisen won a gold medal at the 1904 World Allround Championships, where he won the 1500 m (shared), 5000 m and 10,000 m races.Medal Winners in World Allround Championships – International Skating Union (Retrieved on 9 April 2008) All distances were originally won by Peter Sinnerud, but he was later disqualified for professionalism, and Mathisen was declared world champion.
Death In early 1919, Mathisen caught the Spanish flu as it spread across the world. He died of the disease on 4 March of that year.Den spanske syke in Namdalens Folkeblad on 4 March 1919.
Records
World record In 1908, Mathisen improved the world record on 500 m to 44.4 seconds (sharing the record with Johan Vikander).Historical World Records – International Skating Union (Retrieved on 9 April 2008) The record was beaten in 1912 by Oscar Mathisen.
DisciplineTimeDateLocation500 m0.44,49 February 1908Davos Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com
Personal records
References