Speedskating - The Annual September Skøytenytt Nations Knockout Competition

1964

New record again in this Olympic season, 27 participants: AUS, AUT, BEL, CAN, CHN, CZE, DEN, FIN, FRA, FRG, GBR, GDR, HUN, ITA, JAP, KOR, MGL, NED, NOR, NZL, POL, PRK, ROM, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. Thus we need a preliminary round of 11 matches. The quarter-finalists from last year, PRK, FRA, CHN, SWE, NOR, USA, NED and URS, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is: ITA-CAN, FRA-GDR, URS-FRG, CZE-SWI, JAP-KOR, NOR-ROM, AUT-SWE, HUN-GBR, CHN-BEL, AUS-POL, NZL-DEN. The matches:

Italy-Canada 6-4
France-East Germany 4-6
USSR-West Germany 9-1
Czechoslovakia-Switzerland 5-4
Japan-South Korea 10-0
Norway-Romania 10-0
Austria-Sweden 0-10
Hungary-Britain 4-5
China-Belgium 9-0
Australia-Poland 1-7
New Zealand-Denmark 4-5

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

Sweden-Netherlands 8-2
China-Poland 7.5-1.5
East Germany-Czechoslovakia 10-0
Britain-North Korea 4-5
Finland-Japan 5-5; distances: 10-10; Finland win on samalog points
Norway-Mongolia 6-4, that was close...
Denmark-USA 3-6
Italy-USSR 1-9

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

Finland-Sweden 2-8
USSR-North Korea 9-0
USA-Norway 6-4, again!
China-East Germany 3-7

Semi-final draw: GDR-USA, SWE-URS. Matches:

East Germany-USA 2-8
Sweden-USSR 3-7

Bronze final: GDR-Sweden 0-10

FINAL: USA-USSR

   44,4 -   45,0 (1-0)
 1.33,3 - 1.32,8 (1-1)
 2.33,3 - 2.22,6 (1-2)
 5.17,1 - 5.04,2 (1-3)
   39,5 -   39,6 (2-3)
 2.08,9 - 2.06,3 (2-4)
 4.51,8 - 4.27,3 (2-5)
 8.03,6 - 7.43,5 (2-6)
16.59,8 -15.56,1 (2-7)

Final result 2-7

Statistics:

NOR GOLD 45x
URS GOLD 19x
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 Silver 1964
CAN bronze 1897
LAT bronze 1940
GBR bronze 1949
PRK bronze 1963
SWI 4th 3x
POL 4th 2x
FRA 4th 2x
DEN 4th 1912
ITA 4th 1945
BEL 4th 1946
CHN 4th 1961
GDR 4th 1964
EST QF 5x
LIT QF 1927
KOR QF 1949
ROM 1R 8x
AUS 1R 6x
MGL 1R 2x
NZL PR 5x
ICE PR 2x
RSA PR 2x
COL PR 1933
ESP PR 1957