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World record and season best:
Jenny Wolf, Salt Lake City, Dec 11, 2009
10,19 - 37,00
Lowland record:
Jenny Wolf, Kolomna, Jan 24, 2009
10,21 - 37,51
Olympic record:
Catriona LeMay Doan, Salt Lake City, Feb 13, 2002
10,22 - 37,30
Rink record:
Jenny Wolf, Mar 15, 2009
10,23 - 37,72
Lowland season best:
Jenny Wolf, Berlin, Nov 8, 2009
10,19 - 37,52
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Best nation:
USA with 5 golds, Anne Henning 43.33, Sapporo 1972, Sheila Young 42.76, Innsbruck 1976 and Bonnie Blair, 39.10, Calgary 1988, 40.33, Albertville 1992 and 39.25 Hamar 1994. Germany (East) and the (Soviet) Russians 3, Canada 2.
Best individual skater:
Bonnie Blair, the first and only ever to defend an Olympic skating gold twice, and the first women to receive an Oscar. Maybe someone will institute a Bonnie (or a Laila, or a Leila) award soon?
Biggest win:
Anne Henning was hardly 16 years old when she produced not only the best time, but actually the two best times at the Sapporo Olympics 1972. She was hindered at the crossing by Canadian Sylvia Burke, later both allround and sprint champion, but still beat Russian Vera Krasnova by 28/100. Burka was disqualified and Henning allowed to reskate, which she did, knowing she had already won, and made the time 43.33, 68/100 ahead of Vera and the rest.
Narrowest win:
The 39.10 by Bonnie Blair from Calgary 1988, which destroyed the expected East German grand slam already at the outset, was only 2/100 ahead of the the favourite, Christa Rothenburger, who set a new world record in the 2nd pair. Bonnie came 2 pairs later, passing the 100 two hundredths ahead and keeping the difference till the end. In the next pair, Karin Kania passed 0.2 behind in 10.75 and finished faster despite her last inner curve, but only by 6/100.
Most surprising win:
The women’s 500 m winners usually have been among the favourites. The most surprising was no doubt the first, Helga Haase from (East) Germany, who made 45.9 in Squaw Valley, just 3/10 behind the world record. She did not enter the world championship that year, and could only finish 7th at the distance the two preceding years, far from looking like a specialist sprinter.
Happy 500 to everyone!
LEF