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| Fred Anton Maier | |
| Birth Date: | 15 December 1938 |
| Birth Place: | Nøtterøy, Norway |
| Death Place: | Nøtterøy, Norway |
| Country: | Norway |
| Sport: | Men's speed skating |
| Club: | Tønsbergs TF |
| Pb: | 500 m: 41.8 (1968) 1000 m: 1:24.3 (1968) 1500 m: 2:06.1 (1968) 3000 m: 4:17.5 (1968) 5000 m: 7:16.7 (1968) 10 000 m: 15:20.3 (1968) |
Fred Anton Maier (15 December 1938 – 9 June 2015) was a speed skater from Norway. He was among the dominating skaters throughout the 1960s, specialising in the longer distances. Maier won four Olympic medals: silver on the 10,000 m and bronze on the 5,000 m at the 1964 Olympics, and gold on the 5,000 m and silver on the 10,000 m at the 1968 Olympics. In 1968, he also became European and World Allround Champion. In total, Maier set eleven world records. For a brief week in 1968 he held four world records simultaneously, the 3,000 m, 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the allround samalogue record.
In addition, Maier excelled in cycling, winning two National Time Trial Championships bronze medals (in 1957 and 1967). In 1967, he was awarded the Egebergs Ærespris and in 1968, he won the Oscar Mathisen Award and was chosen Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year.
Maier died from cancer on 9 June 2015 at the age of 76.[1] The Tønsberg Stadion was renamed in 2015, to take his name and a statue of Maier was erected at the stadium's south entrance.[2]
An overview of medals won by Maier at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:
| Championships | align=center bgcolor=gold | Gold medal | align=center bgcolor=silver | Silver medal | align=center bgcolor=cc9966 | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 (5,000 m) | 1964 (10,000 m) 1968 (10,000 m) | 1964 (5,000 m) | ||||
| 1968 | – | – | ||||
| 1968 | – | – | ||||
| Norwegian Allround | 1965 | 1966 1967 1968 | 1961 |
Over the course of his career, Maier skated eleven world records:
| Discipline | Time | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 m | 7.28,1 | 4 March 1965 | Notodden | Beaten by Kees Verkerk on 26 February 1967 | |
| 10,000 m | 15.32,2 | 6 February 1966 | Oslo | Beaten by Maier himself (see below) | |
| Big combination | 178.253 | 6 February 1966 | Oslo | Beaten by Kees Verkerk on 12 February 1967 | |
| 10,000 m | 15.31,8 | 28 February 1967 | Inzell | Beaten by Maier himself (see below) | |
| 5000 m | 7.26,2 | 7 January 1968 | Deventer | Beaten by Maier himself (see below) | |
| 10,000 m | 15.29,5 | 21 January 1968 | Horten | Beaten by Maier himself (see below) | |
| 10,000 m | 15.20,3 | 28 January 1968 | Oslo | Beaten by Per Willy Guttormsen on 10 March 1968 | |
| 5000 m | 7.22,4 | 15 February 1968 | Grenoble | Beaten by Maier himself (see below) | |
| Big combination | 176.340 | 25 February 1968 | Gothenburg | Beaten by Kees Verkerk on 10 March 1968 | |
| 3000 m | 4.17,5 | 7 March 1968 | Inzell | Beaten by Dag Fornæss on 28 January 1969 | |
| 5000 m | 7.16,7 | 9 March 1968 | Inzell | Beaten by Kees Verkerk on 1 March 1969 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[3]
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Maier skated his personal records.
| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 41.8 | 3 February 1968 | Davos | 39.2 | |
| 1,000 m | 1:24.3 | 1 December 1968 | Inzell | 1:20.5 | |
| 1,500 m | 2:06.1 | 10 March 1968 | Inzell | 2:02.5 | |
| 3,000 m | 4:17.5 | 7 March 1968 | Inzell | 4:18.4 | |
| 5,000 m | 7:16.7 | 9 March 1968 | Inzell | 7:22.4 | |
| 10,000 m | 15:20.3 | 28 January 1968 | Bislett | 15:29.5 |
Maier has an Adelskalender score of 173.518 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was a second place.