Speed skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics – Men's 10,000 metres
| Men's 10,000 metres speed skating at the II Olympic Winter Games | |
|---|---|
 Pictogram for speed skating | |
| Venue | St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink |
| Date | 14 February 1928 |
| Competitors | 10 from 6 nations |
| Speed skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
| |
| 500 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| 5000 m | men |
| 10,000 m | men |
The 10,000 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Tuesday, February 14, 1928.
In this event, Irving Jaffee was leading the competition, having outskated Norwegian defending world champion Bernt Evensen on the finish line in their heat, when rising temperatures thawed the ice.[1] In a controversial ruling, the Norwegian referee canceled the entire competition. Although the International Olympic Committee reversed the referee's decision and awarded Jaffee the gold medal, the International Skating Union later overruled the IOC and restored the ruling.[2] Jaffee should have received the gold medal, according to Evensen, but it never occurred.[3]
Medalists[edit]
No medals were awarded as the competition was abandoned.
Records[edit]
These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1928 Winter Olympics.
| World Record | 17:17.4(*) |  Armand Carlsen
|
Davos (SUI) | February 5, 1928 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Record | 18:04.8 |  Julius Skutnabb
|
Chamonix (FRA) | January 27, 1924 |
(*) The record was set in a high altitude venue (more than 1000 metres above sea level) and on naturally frozen ice.
Results[edit]
Heats[edit]
Heat 1[edit]
In an exciting race, Evensen led throughout, but by no more than three seconds: Jaffee caught him on the finish line to win by six inches.
| Place | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Irving Jaffee (USA) |
18:36.5 |
| 2 |  Bernt Evensen (NOR) |
18:36.6 |
Heat 2[edit]
In a mostly back-and-forth contest, Bulota had a lead of 6.5 seconds at 8400 meters, with Riedl ultimately catching him on the final lap to win by six yards, as puddles of water set in on the ice.
| Place | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rudolf Riedl (AUT) |
20:21.5 |
| 2 |  Kęstutis Bulota (LTU) |
20:22.2 |
Heat 3[edit]
After 3200 meters, co-favorite Larsen lost contact with Polacsek: he ultimately retired when his split times were 35 seconds behind Jaffee and Evensen, giving Polacsek the win.
| Place | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otto Polacsek (AUT) |
20:00.9 |
| – | Roald Larsen (NOR) |
DNF |
Heat 4[edit]
Bialas and Carlsen were close for 4000 metres, when Carlsen pulled away: he went on to win by 80 yards.
| Place | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armand Carlsen (NOR) |
20:56.1 |
| 2 | Valentine Bialas (USA) |
21:05.4 |
Heat 5[edit]
This heat was between 
Gustaf Andersson (SWE) and 
Ossi Blomqvist (FIN).
The thawing ice saw both Andersson and Blomqvist complete the first lap in 55 seconds, far slower than the other competitors: when they passed 2000 meters in 4:21, 30 seconds slower than Carlsen and Bialas in the previous heat, the heat was abandoned.
Standings after four heats[edit]
| Place | Speed skater | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irving Jaffee (USA) |
18:36.5 |
| 2 | Bernt Evensen (NOR) |
18:36.6 |
| 3 | Otto Polacsek (AUT) |
20:00.9 |
| 4 | Rudolf Riedl (AUT) |
20:21.5 |
| 5 | Kęstutis Bulota (LTU) |
20:22.2 |
| 6 | Armand Carlsen (NOR) |
20:56.1 |
| 7 | Valentine Bialas (USA) |
21:05.4 |
| – | Roald Larsen (NOR) |
DNF |
References[edit]
- ^ The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and The 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ The International Jewish Sports Hall ... September 15, 1906. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ Mitchell, Kevin. "The unforgettable Olympic speed skating race of 1928: Irving Jaffee's happy, sad gold-medal story". nationalpost.com. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- Official Olympic Report
- "Results of the 1928 Olympic Games 10,000 meters Men". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
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