| Event: | Speed skating |
| Games: | 1972 Winter |
| Venue: | Makomanai Open Stadium |
| Date: | 4–12 February 1972 |
| Num Events: | 8 |
| Competitors: | 118 |
| Nations: | 18 |
| Prev: | 1968 |
| Next: | 1976 |
Speed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics, was held from 4 to 12 February. Eight events were contested at Makomanai Open Stadium in Sapporo, Japan.[1] This was the first Olympics at which electronic times were recorded to the hundredth of a second.[2]
The Netherlands topped the medal table, with four golds and nine overall, led by Ard Schenk's three gold medals.
Schenk led the individual medal table, winning each of the three longer distance events. The most successful female skater was the Netherlands's Stien Kaiser, who won one gold and one silver medal.
| 500 metres | 39.44 (OR) | 39.69 | 39.80 | ||||
| 1500 metres | 2:02.96 (OR) | 2:04.26 | 2:05.89 | ||||
| 5000 metres | 7:23.61 | 7:28.18 | 7:33.39 | ||||
| 10,000 metres | 15:01.35 (OR) | 15:04.70 | 15:07.08 |
| 500 metres | 43.33 (OR) | 44.01 | 44.45 | ||||
| 1000 metres | 1:31.40 (OR) | 1:31.61 | 1:31.62 | ||||
| 1500 metres | 2:20.85 (OR) | 2:21.05 | 2:22.05 | ||||
| 3000 metres | 4:52.14 (OR) | 4:58.67 | 4:59.91 |
Seven of the eight events had new Olympic records set, with only the men's 5000 metres record remaining unbroken.[3] [4]
| Event | Date | Team | Time | OR | WR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 February | 39.44 | OR | ||||
| 6 February | 2:02.96 | OR | ||||
| 7 February | 15:01.35 | OR | ||||
| 10 February | 43.33 | OR | ||||
| 11 February | 1:31.40 | OR | ||||
| 9 February | 2:20.85 | OR | ||||
| 12 February | 4:52.14 | OR |
Eighteen nations competed in the speed skating events at Sapporo.