 Ants Antson in 1966 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 11 November 1938 Tallinn, Estonia | |||||||||||
| Died | 31 October 2015 (aged 76) | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Speed skating | |||||||||||
| Club | Kalev Tallinn | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||
Ants Antson (11 November 1938 – 31 October 2015) was an Estonian speed skater who competed for the Soviet Union.[1]
Antson trained at the Kalev Voluntary Sports Society. Coached by former World, Olympic, and European Champion Boris Shilkov, Antson had his best year in 1964, when he became European Allround Champion, won the 1500 m event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, and set a new world record in the 3000 m. For his achievements that year, he received the Oscar Mathisen Award.[1]
The two gold medals Antson won in 1964 turned out to be his only international medals, although he did win some national medals at the Soviet Allround Championships – gold in 1967, silver in 1965 and 1968, and bronze in 1966. He participated in the 1500 m at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, but despite skating a new personal record, he finished only twelfth.[1]
He retired shortly after the 1968 Games and worked as a sports official, first in the Soviet Estonian Committee for Physical Culture and Sports, and later with the Estonian Olympic Committee. At the 1992 Winter Olympics he became the first flag bearer for Estonia after it became independent from the Soviet Union.[1]
In 1965, Antson married Estonian film actress Eve Kivi, the couple would divorce in 1972. He later married Ene Antson and the couple remained married until his death; one week and four days before his 77th birthday.
An overview of medals won by Antson at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:[1]
| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 1964 (1500 m) | – | – |
| World Allround | – | – | – |
| European Allround | 1964 | – | – |
| Soviet Allround | 1967 | 1965 1968 |
1966 |
Over the course of his career, Antson skated one world record:[1]
| Discipline | Time | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 m | 4:27.3 | 11 February 1964 |  Oslo
|
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[2]
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Antson skated his personal records.
| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 40.7 | 16 January 1968 | Medeo | 39.5 |
| 1500 m | 2:07.2 | 16 February 1968 | Grenoble | 2:02.5 |
| 3000 m | 4:27.3 | 11 February 1964 | Oslo | 4:27.6 |
| 5000 m | 7:34.8 | 16 January 1968 | Medeo | 7:26.2 |
| 10000 m | 15:57.7 | 18 January 1964 | Oslo | 15:33.0 |
| Big combination | 177,198 | 17 January 1968 | Medeo | 176.982 |
Source: SpeedskatingResults.com[3]
Antson has an Adelskalender score of 176.465 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was fourth place.
