World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women

The International Skating Union has organised the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women since 1936. Unofficial championships were held in the years 1933–1935.

History Distances used In the years 1933–1935, three distances were skated: 500 m, 1000 m and 1500 m. In the years 1936–1955, four distances were skated: 500 m, 1000 m, 3000 m and 5000 m (the old combination). In the years 1956–1982, four distances were skated: 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and 3000 m (the mini combination). Since 1983, four distances are skated: 500 m, 1500 m, 3000 m and 5000 m (the small combination).

Ranking systems used Since 1933, the samalog system has been in use. However, the rule that a skater winning at least three distances (at least two distances in 1933–1935) was automatically World Champion remained in effect until (and including) 1986. This rule was applied in 1949 when Maria Isakova from the Soviet Union won three distances and thus become World Champion despite after end of fourth distance (5000 m) she had a worse samalog score than her compatriots Zoya Kholshevnikova and Rimma Zhukova who won silver and bronze medals respectively.

Records Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (née Kleemann) from East Germany won a total of 8 world championship titles, three consecutive in 1991, 1992, 1993, and another five consecutive titles in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. Ireen Wüst from Netherlands has a record 13 medals, 12 of which were won in consecutive championships (2007–2018) – seven golds (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2020), four silvers (2008, 2015, 2016, 2018) and two bronzes (2009, 2010). Previously, this record belonged to Claudia Pechstein from Germany – 11 medals in consecutive championships (1996–2006) with one gold (2000), eight silvers (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006) and two bronzes (2002, 2005). The youngest World Allround Champion is Laila Schou Nilsen from Norway who won her first of three world allround titles in 1935 at age 15 (although it was unofficial world championships). Two years later she won official world championships at age 17 (which is also a record). The oldest World Allround Champion is Atje Keulen-Deelstra from Netherlands who won her fourth and last world allround title in 1974 at age 35. Claudia Pechstein from Germany hold record by number of participations in the championships (25 times in 1992–2022). The biggest point margin between the winner and the second placed skater at the end of competition is 20.923 points between Verné Lesche from Finland and Else Marie Christiansen from Norway in 1947. At the 1949 championships, Maria Isakova from the Soviet Union won three distances and thus become World Allround Champion in accordance with then-existing rule. Being de-facto champion, she finished in 6th place at final distance (5000 m) and in third place in points classification by losing 1.510 points to her compatriot Zoya Kholshevnikova who eventually become silver medalist. Without taking into account this case, the smallest winning margin between the champion and the runner-up is 0.073 points between Soviet skaters Khalida Shchegoleyeva and Rimma Zhukova in 1953. There are eight speed skaters who become World Allround Champions by winning all four distances at the championships – Laila Schou Nilsen from Norway (1937), Verné Lesche from Finland (1947), Lidiya Skoblikova from the Soviet Union (1963 and 1964), Beth Heiden from the United States (1979), Andrea Schöne from East Germany (1985), Gunda Niemann from Germany (1995), Anni Friesinger from Germany (2005) and Cindy Klassen from Canada (2006). Lidiya Skoblikova is the only speed skater who achieved this feat twice. By contrast, there are five speed skaters who become World Allround Champions without winning any of four distances – Lidia Selikhova from the Soviet Union (1954), Valentina Stenina from the Soviet Union (1966), Atje Keulen-Deelstra from Netherlands (1970), Cindy Klassen from Canada (2003) and Ireen Wüst from Netherlands (2012). There are five female speed skaters who become champions both at the World Allround and the World Sprint Championships – Sylvia Burka from Canada (Allround: 1976; Sprint: 1977), Natalya Petrusyova from the Soviet Union (Allround: 1980, 1981; Sprint: 1982), Karin Kania (Enke, Busch) from East Germany (Allround: 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988; Sprint: 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987), Anni Friesinger from Germany (Allround: 2001, 2002, 2005; Sprint: 2007) and Miho Takagi from Japan (Allround: 2018; Sprint: 2020, 2024). Karin Kania (Enke, Busch) remained the only female speed skater who win both championships in one calendar year by firstly achieving this feat in 1984 and then repeating this success in 1986 and 1987. Anni Friesinger and Miho Takagi are the only female speed skaters who won world titles at three different championships – World Allround Championships, World Sprint Championships and World Single Distances Championships (at the latter competition Friesinger won 12 gold medals in 1998–2009 and Takagi won six gold medals in 2015–2025).

Medal winners Unofficial championships Year LocationGoldSilverBronze 1933 Oslo Liselotte Landbeck Synnøve Lie Helen Bina 1934 Oslo Undis Blikken Verné Lesche Synnøve Lie 1935 Oslo Laila Schou Nilsen Synnøve Lie Kit Klein

Official championships Year LocationGoldSilverBronze 1936 Stockholm Kit Klein Verné Lesche Synnøve Lie 1937 Davos Laila Schou Nilsen Synnøve Lie Verné Lesche 1938 Oslo Laila Schou Nilsen (3 Laila Schou Nilsen won her first allround title in 1935 at the unofficial World Championships.) Verné Lesche Synnøve Lie 1939 Tampere Verné Lesche Liisa Salmi Laura Tamminen 1940 Not held due to World War II 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 Drammen Verné Lesche (2) Else Marie Christiansen Maggi Kvestad 1948 Turku Maria Isakova Lidia Selikhova Zoya Kholshevnikova 1949 Kongsberg Maria Isakova Zoya Kholshevnikova Rimma Zhukova 1950 Moscow Maria Isakova (3) Zinaida Krotova Rimma Zhukova 1951 Eskilstuna Eevi Huttunen Randi Thorvaldsen Ragnhild Mikkelsen 1952 Kokkola Lidia Selikhova Maria Anikanova Randi Thorvaldsen 1953 Lillehammer Khalida Shchegoleyeva Rimma Zhukova Lidia Selikhova 1954 Östersund Lidia Selikhova (2) Rimma Zhukova Sofya Kondakova 1955 Kuopio Rimma Zhukova Tamara Rylova Sofya Kondakova 1956 Kvarnsveden Sofya Kondakova Rimma Zhukova Tamara Rylova 1957 Imatra Inga Artamonova Tamara Rylova Lidia Selikhova 1958 Kristinehamn Inga Artamonova Tamara Rylova Sofya Kondakova 1959 Sverdlovsk Tamara Rylova Valentina Stenina Lidiya Skoblikova 1960 Östersund Valentina Stenina Tamara Rylova Lidiya Skoblikova 1961 Tønsberg Valentina Stenina Albina Tuzova Lidiya Skoblikova 1962 Imatra Inga Voronina Lidiya Skoblikova Albina Tuzova 1963 Karuizawa Lidiya Skoblikova Inga Voronina Valentina Stenina 1964 Kristinehamn Lidiya Skoblikova (2) Inga Voronina Tamara Rylova 1965 Oulu Inga Voronina (4) Valentina Stenina Stien Kaiser 1966 Trondheim Valentina Stenina (3) Kim Song-soon Stien Kaiser 1967 Deventer Stien Kaiser Lāsma Kauniste Dianne Holum 1968 Helsinki Stien Kaiser (2) Ans Schut Carry Geijssen 1969 Grenoble Lāsma Kauniste Stien Kaiser Ans Schut 1970 West Allis Atje Keulen-Deelstra Stien Kaiser Sigrid Sundby 1971 Helsinki Nina Statkevich Stien Kaiser Lyudmila Titova 1972 Heerenveen Atje Keulen-Deelstra Stien Baas-Kaiser Dianne Holum 1973 Strömsund Atje Keulen-Deelstra Tatyana Shelekhova Trijnie Rep 1974 Heerenveen Atje Keulen-Deelstra (4) Tatyana Averina Nina Statkevich 1975 Assen Karin Kessow Tatyana Averina Sheila Young 1976 Gjøvik Sylvia Burka Tatyana Averina Sheila Young 1977 Keystone Vera Bryndzei Galina Stepanskaya Galina Nikitina 1978 Helsinki Tatyana Averina Galina Stepanskaya Marion Dittmann 1979 The Hague Beth Heiden Natalya Petrusyova Sylvia Burka 1980 Hamar Natalya Petrusyova Beth Heiden Bjørg Eva Jensen 1981 Sainte-Foy Natalya Petrusyova (2) Karin Enke Sarah Docter 1982 Inzell Karin Busch Andrea Schöne Natalya Petrusyova 1983 Karl-Marx-Stadt Andrea Schöne Karin Enke Valentina Lalenkova 1984 Deventer Karin Enke Andrea Schöne Gabi Schönbrunn 1985 Sarajevo Andrea Schöne (2) Gabi Schönbrunn Sabine Brehm 1986 The Hague Karin Kania Andrea Ehrig Sabine Brehm 1987 West Allis Karin Kania Andrea Ehrig Yvonne van Gennip 1988 Skien Karin Kania (5) Yvonne van Gennip Erwina Ryś-Ferens 1989 Lake Placid Constanze Moser Gunda Kleemann Yvonne van Gennip 1990 Calgary Jacqueline Börner Seiko Hashimoto Constanze Moser 1991 Hamar Gunda Kleemann Heike Warnicke Lia van Schie 1992 Heerenveen Gunda Niemann Emese Hunyady Seiko Hashimoto 1993 Berlin Gunda Niemann Emese Hunyady Heike Warnicke 1994 Butte Emese Hunyady Ulrike Adeberg Mihaela Dascălu 1995 Savalen Gunda Niemann Lyudmila Prokasheva Annamarie Thomas 1996 Inzell Gunda Niemann Claudia Pechstein Mie Uehara 1997 Nagano Gunda Niemann Claudia Pechstein Tonny de Jong 1998 Heerenveen Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Claudia Pechstein Anni Friesinger 1999 Hamar Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (8) Claudia Pechstein Tonny de Jong 2000 Milwaukee Claudia Pechstein Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Maki Tabata 2001 Budapest Anni Friesinger Claudia Pechstein Renate Groenewold 2002 Heerenveen Anni Friesinger Cindy Klassen Claudia Pechstein 2003 Gothenburg Cindy Klassen Claudia Pechstein Daniela Anschütz 2004 Hamar Renate Groenewold Claudia Pechstein Wieteke Cramer 2005 Moscow Anni Friesinger (3) Cindy Klassen Claudia Pechstein 2006 Calgary Cindy Klassen (2) Claudia Pechstein Kristina Groves 2007 Heerenveen Ireen Wüst Anni Friesinger Cindy Klassen 2008 Berlin Paulien van Deutekom Ireen Wüst Kristina Groves 2009 Hamar Martina Sáblíková Kristina Groves Ireen Wüst 2010 Heerenveen Martina Sáblíková Kristina Groves Ireen Wüst 2011 Calgary Ireen Wüst Christine Nesbitt Martina Sáblíková 2012 Moscow Ireen Wüst Martina Sáblíková Christine Nesbitt 2013 Hamar Ireen Wüst Diane Valkenburg Yekaterina Shikhova 2014 Heerenveen Ireen Wüst Olga Graf Yvonne Nauta 2015 Calgary Martina Sáblíková Ireen Wüst Ida Njåtun 2016 Berlin Martina Sáblíková Ireen Wüst Antoinette de Jong 2017 Hamar Ireen Wüst Martina Sáblíková Miho Takagi 2018 Amsterdam Miho Takagi Ireen Wüst Annouk van der Weijden 2019 Calgary Martina Sáblíková (5) Miho Takagi Antoinette de Jong 2020 Hamar Ireen Wüst (7) Ivanie Blondin Antoinette de Jong 2022 Hamar Irene Schouten Miho Takagi Antoinette de Jong 2024 Inzell Joy Beune Marijke Groenewoud Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong 2026 Heerenveen Ragne Wiklund Marijke Groenewoud Miho Takagi

All-time medal count

Unofficial World Championships of 1933–1935 (not recognized by the ISU) included

Multiple medalists Boldface denotes active skaters and highest medal count among all skaters (including those not included in these tables) per type.

Rank Skater Country From To Gold Silver BronzeTotal 1 Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (Kleemann) 1989 2000 8 2 – 10 2 Ireen Wüst 2007 2020 7 4 2 13 3 Martina Sáblíková 2009 2019 5 2 1 8 4 Karin Kania (Enke, Busch) 1981 1988 5 2 – 7 5 Inga Voronina (Artamonova) 1957 1965 4 2 – 6 6 Atje Keulen-Deelstra 1970 1974 4 – – 4 7 Valentina Stenina 1959 1966 3 2 1 6 8 Anni Friesinger 1998 2007 3 1 1 5 9 Maria Isakova 1948 1950 3 – – 3 Laila Schou Nilsen 1935 1938 3 * – – 3 * * including one medal won at the unofficial championship of 1935.

See also World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men

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References