Edel Therese HÖISETH

Edel Therese Høiseth skated at an international level for 19 years. She débuted in 1983, aged 17, at the European and World Championships, while also taking part in the World Junior Championships, where she finished 14th, improving that perfomance to 10th in 1984. Although a better spinter, she took part in allround championships up to 1987, earning a number of distance medals on the 500 m, but never made it to the final distance. In 2000, she returned to allround championships when she participated in the World Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Between 1984 and 2002, Høiseth took part in all the World Sprint tournaments, usually finishing between rank 10th and 20th. Her best perfomance came in 1996, when she took the silver medal in Heerenveen, while the previous year she had her worst result: 25th. In 1996, she also won two distance medals, silver and bronze.

Høiseth participated in no less than five Olympic Games, always starting on the 500 m and 1,000 m and, on two occasions, the 1,500 m. Her best Olympic performance was an eighth spot in the 500 in front of her home crowd in Hamar. At six World Single Distance Championships, her best result was fifth place in the 2000 1,000. Other successes include two World Cup victories (both in the 1,000 m) and a host of Norwegian sprint and distance titles: 14 sprint titles (1985-88, 1991-94, 1996-2000, 2002), one allround title (1985), and 26 distance titles in the three shortest distances. Høiseth, who shortly after retirement came out as gay, later coached Spanish skater Asier Peña.

Personal Bests: 500 – 38.40 (2000); 1000 – 1:15.37 (2000); 1500 – 1:59.97 (2000); 3000 – 4:29.50 (1999); 5000 – 8:13.13 (2000).