Oscar Mathisen
Speedskating - Oscar Diary

Hunting for Østlund

4000 people, pretty much one third of the Hamar population, circled the lake ice track as the Mathisen brothers and Sæterhaug came to display their arts after the national championship a hundred years ago today. Under a high, clear, cloudless sky with no wind, the well-prepared ice offered the best opportunity yet for relieving Peder Østlund of his 1500m national record. Martin Sæterhaug must have realised that his club and home town were in danger of losing this famous old record, and he skated the 1500m of his life, attacking from the start, following Oscar’s every move, hanging on to him like a leech. In the end he lost by only 1 tenth of a second. But the record was safe, missed by only one tenth of a second, too. 

500m
1.Oscar Mathisen   46,0 tr
2.Martin Sæterhaug 46,7
3.Sigurd Mathisen  46,8
4.Otto Monsen      47,3 pb
5.Harald Monsen    48,0
6.Magnus Johansen  49,0
7.Ejnar Sørensen   49,3
8.Sigurd Jensen    54,2
9.Hilmar Eriksen   54,6

1500m
1.O Mathisen 2.26,5 tr, lpb
2.Sæterhaug  2.26,6 lpb
3.S Mathisen 2.31,9
4.Johansen   2.32,8
5.H Monsen   2.36,0 pb
6.Sørensen   2.37,4
7.O Monsen   2.41,0
8.Eriksen    2.47,1
9.Jensen     2.55,0

The curious fact that Johansen appears here, but not in the national championship, may have two probable explanations: 1. He couldn’t take time off from his job to travel to Lillehammer on the Friday. 2. He had beaten Oscar in the 10000m in the World Championship, and his club thought he might jeopardise Oscar’s title claim. A fear that proved unfounded—this time.

Sørensen’s 1500m time above is disputed. It may have been 2.38,4 instead.

Meanwhile in Vaasa, today’s two distances in the Finnish Championship had surprising winners: 

500m
1.Lahtinen     47,7
2.Schrey       48,4
Wathén         48,4
4.Vikander     48,6
5.Lihr         48,7
Louhala        48,7
7.Wiinikainen  49,0
8.Helanterä    49,1
9.Vanhala      49,4
10.von Schantz 49,8
11.Kyykoski    50,2
12.Kahma       53,2
13.A Ohls      56,6

Overall: 
1.Schrey       3.5
2.Vikander     7
3.Lihr         9.5
Wathén         9.5
5.Louhala     11.5
6.von Schantz 12
Wiinikainen   12
8.Lahtinen    13
9.Vanhala     17
10.Helanterä  19
11.Kyykoski   20
12.Kahma      22

1500m
1.Lihr        2.36,8
2.Vikander    2.37,0
3.Schrey      2.37,4
4.Louhala     2.38,1
5.von Schantz 2.39,8
6.Helanterä   2.39,9
7.Wiinikainen 2.40,0
8.Wathén      2.41,6
9.Kyykoski    2.42,1
10.Lahtinen   2.46,2
11.Vanhala    2.46,9
12.Kahma      2.49,0
13.Ohls       2.59,0

Overall:

GOLD.Arne Schrey      6.5
Silver.Johan Vikander 9
bronze.Aksel Lihr    10.5
4.Kalle Louhala      15.5
5.August von Schantz 17
6,Franz F Wathén     17.5
7.Jussi Wiinikainen  19
8.E Lahtinen         23
9.Lauri Helanterä    25
10.Eino Vanhala      28
11.Arvo Kyykoski     29
12.Jussi Kahma       34

Meanwhile in Lillestrøm, they apparently had fine ice conditions, too, because there the 15 years old Bjarne Frang skated the excellent series 47,4 - 2.35,0 - 9.36,0. Obviously a talent to rival Oscar in years to come. And at Bislett, the 12 years old brother of another obvious talent, Henning Olsen, Oskar by name, displayed no such thing when he finished 4th in his class, improving his 500m pb from 64,6 to 62,5.