Lasse Sætre
Encyclopedia
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, who for several years was among the world's best long distance skaters. Sætre who grew up in Nord-Odal
Nord-Odal
Nord-Odal is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Odal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sand. The parish of Nordre Odalen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:The last element is the old district...
competed in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Olympics, and won a 10,000-m bronze in the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
. He won another 10,000-m bronze in the 2003 World Single Distance Championships
World Single Distance Championships
The World Single Distance Championships are a series of speed skating competitions organised by the International Skating Union.-History:Since the late 19th century, speed skating championships were always decided by racing multiple distances – four different distances for the allround...
. As of December 2006, only seven skaters in the world have 10,000-m results below 13 minutes, and Sætre has twice achieved such results. His personal bests are 38.15, 1:49.36, 6:17.60 and 12:56.85. Sætre is currently one of only four skaters to have skated the 10,000m more than once in a time of under 13 minutes, along with Chad Hedrick
Chad Hedrick
Chad Hedrick is an American inline speed skater and ice speed skater. He was born in Spring, Texas.Hedrick revolutionized the inline speed skating world with his unique technique, called the double push or DP...
, Sven Kramer
Sven Kramer
Sven Kramer is a Dutch long track speed skater. He is the Olympic champion of the 5000 meter in Vancouver 2010, and four-time European and World Allround Champion. He is also three-time world champion and world record holder in the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the team pursuit...
and Carl Verheijen
Carl Verheijen
Carl Eduard Verheijen was a Dutch speedskater specializing in the longer distances 5,000-m and the 10,000-m. Verheijen is the son of skater Eddy Verheijen and has a relation with retired skater Andrea Nuyt in Leusden. They have a daughter...
, and among those four was the second to achieve it (after Hedrick).