Ivar NILSSON

Known as "Ivrige Ivar" (Eager Ivar), Nilsson was a late bloomer, first appearing at the national championships at age 25. A year later he placed fifth in that event, winning the 5,000 m. This earned him a spot on the Swedish team for the international championships. After winning the 10,000 m at the Europeans, he was considered an outsider for the long distance medals at the Squaw Valley Olympics, and only narrowly missed the podium in the 10k (4th). His greatest international success came in 1962. In front of a 250,000 person crowd (over two days), Nilsson took the bronze in the World Allround Championships in Moscow's Lenin Stadium. A two-time Swedish champion (1961, 1963), Nilsson continued to compete in major international events through 1965, and bettered a number of Swedish records. His last major event was the 1969 Swedish championships, 10 years after his début. He skated together with Jonny Nilsson for much of his career, but they were not related. Ivar's older brother, Sven, was a noted Swedish stage actor.

Personal Bests: 500 – 42.6 (1963); 1500 – 2:10.5 (1963); 5000 – 7:42.8 (1964); 10000 – 16:02.9 (1963).