Arne HERJEAUNET

Arne Herjuaune was born in Malvik, a municipality east of Trondheim. He started his speed skating career with his local club Malvik IL at age 16 in 1962, and improved his 500 m PB from 48.9 to 44.3 during the next two seasons. From 1964/65 he represented Trondhjems Skøiteklub, and came under the guidance of the national coach Asbjørn Wold, training together with the well-known skater Magne Thomassen.

Herjuane was a typical sprinter, specializing in the 500 metres, and improved steadily, skating 41.7 in 1967. His international breakthrough came in 1968, when he improved to 39.6 in Davos, for a Norwegian record. He was selected for the Grenoble Olympic team, placing fifth in the 500 m in his only Olympic appearance, 0.2 seconds behind Thomassen, who tied for the silver medal. In 1971 Herjuane improved his PB to 39.4 in Davos, and finished 10th in the unofficial 1971 ISU Sprint Championships. He tried to qualify for the 1972 Olympics, but failed, and ended his skating career in January 1972. Herjuane skated four international meets for Norway in 1969-72, and had two medals in the 500 m from the Norwegian All-Around Championships, second in 1968 and third in 1969. He continued to participate in shooting, his other favorite sport. Herjuane was an electrician by profession. He died from blood cancer in 2017, at the age of 71.

Personal Bests: 500 – 39.4 (1971); 1000 – 1:20.7 (1971); 1500 – 2:09.6 (1971); 5000 – 8:30.5 (1969).