Knut JOHANNESEN

Long distance skater Knut Johannesen first competed in the Olympic Games in 1956, finishing eighth in the 5,000m race and earning a silver medal in the 10,000m. In the latter race, his time was only one second slower than the winner, Sigvard Ericsson.

Breaking the 16-minute barrier

Four years later, at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, Johannesen gained another silver medal, this time in the 5,000m. Then, in the 10,000m, he broke the pre-Olympic world record by a stunning 46 seconds and became the first person to break the 16-minute barrier.

A mistake in the clock, another medal

In 1964, Johannesen took another shot at Olympic gold. Fellow Norwegian Per Ivar Moe recorded an excellent time of 7:38.6 for 5,000m. More than an hour later, Johannesen took to the ice. He fell three seconds behind Moe's pace, but gradually closed the gap. When he crossed the finish line, the scoreboard clock read "7:38.7." However, the clock was wrong. Johannesen's official time, 7:38.4, earned him another gold medal. He added a fifth and final medal - bronze - in the 10,000m.