Speedskating - The Annual September Skøytenytt Nations Knockout Competition

1957

For this season we have 23 participants, equal to the record again, and including a couple of interesting debutants: AUS, AUT, CAN, CHN, CZE, DEN, ESP, FIN, FRA, FRG, GBR, GDR, HUN, ITA, JAP, NED, NOR, POL, ROM, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. Thus we need a preliminary round of 7 matches. The quarter-finalists from last year, JAP, URS, AUT, HUN, FRA, FIN, NOR and SWE, are exempt. The draw is: ROM-USA, DEN-AUS, FRG-ITA, SWI-NED, GDR-CZE, ESP-GBR, CAN-POL. The matches:

Romania-USA 5-1
Denmark-Australia 0-7
West Germany-Italy 0-10
Switzerland-Netherlands 1-8
East Germany-Czechoslovakia 7-2
Spain-Britain 0-6
Canada-Poland 0-8

The first round proper then consists of: AUS, AUT, CHN, FIN, FRA, GBR, GDR, HUN, ITA, JAP, NED, NOR, POL, ROM, SWE, URS. The semi-finalists from last year, AUT, SWE, URS and FIN, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: CHN-GDR, ITA-AUS, GBR-SWE, FIN-JAP, NOR-AUT, URS-POL, NED-FRA, HUN-ROM. The matches proceed as follows:

China-East Germany 1-9
Italy-Australia 8-2
Britain-Sweden 0-10
Finland-Japan 9-2
Norway-Austria 10-0
USSR-Poland 9-0
Netherlands-France 8-1
Hungary-Romania 8-0, again!

The quarter-final consists of: FIN, GDR, HUN, ITA, NED, NOR, SWE, URS. The finalists from last year, SWE and URS, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: SWE-ITA, HUN-FIN, URS-NED, GDR-NOR. Results of the matches:

Sweden-Italy 10-0
Hungary-Finland 0-11
USSR-Netherlands 9-1
East Germany-Norway 3.5-6.5

Semi-final draw: SWE-FIN, URS-NOR. Matches:

Sweden-Finland 3.5-7.5
USSR-Norway 8-2

Bronze final: Sweden-Norway 5-5; distances: 10-10; Sweden win on samalog points

FINAL: Finland-USSR

   48,2 -   46,1 (0-1)
 1.41,8 - 1.35,9 (0-2)
 2.39,5 - 2.28,7 (0-3)
 5.18,8 - 5.22,2 (1-3)
 9.30,3 -      - (2-3)
   43,2 -   40,6 (2-4)
 1.28,5 -      - (3-4)
 2.15,4 - 2.11,1 (3-5)
 4.56,8 - 4.38,3 (3-6)
 8.29,4 - 8.05,6 (3-7)
17.32,6 -16.43,7 (3-8)

Final result 3-8

Statistics:

NOR GOLD 45x
URS GOLD 12x
FIN GOLD 4x
NED GOLD 2x
SWE GOLD 2x
AUT Silver 4x
FRG Silver 2x
HUN Silver 2x
JAP Silver 2x
CZE Silver 1955
USA bronze 2x
CAN bronze 1897
LAT bronze 1940
GBR bronze 1949
SWI 4th 3x
FRA 4th 1902
DEN 4th 1912
ITA 4th 1945
BEL 4th 1946
POL 4th 1955
EST QF 5x
LIT QF 1927
KOR QF 1949
GDR QF 1957
ROM 1R 6x
AUS 1R 4x
CHN 1R 1957
COL PR 1933
ICE PR 1953
ESP PR 1957