Fred Anton Maier died – NRK

Maier died Tuesday evening at his home in Nøtterøy after a long illness. Knut Kupper’n Johannesen is full of praise for his friend.

– There’s so much good I can say about Fred Anton Maier. He has been an honorable man, a wonderful skater and a nice guy in every way possible. It will be a great loss to the skating fraternity now that Fred is gone away, says Johannesen said.

Fred Anton Maier was one of the greatest skaters in the 1960s, and was at times almost unbeatable in 5000 and 10,000 meters.

Maier lived on Nøtterøy, but competed for Tønsberg Turn. He soon became a strong Norwegian short of the long distances in the international championships.

He was a crowd favorite in a sport which at the time gathered tens of thousands in the stands and hundreds of thousands in front of their radios and eventually television.

Fred Anton Maier

Norwegian skater, born on 15 December 1938.

Merits : Olympic gold in 5000 m 1968 Olympic silver at 10,000 meters in 1964 and 1968 Olympic bronze in the 5000 m 1964 championship gold in 1965, EM and World Championship gold in 1968.

World Records:

• Notodden 4. March 1965: 7.28,1 (5000 m)
• Bislett 6 February 1966: 15.32,2 (10,000 m)
• Bislett 5.-6. February 1966: 178,253 (total)
• Inzell 28 February 1967: 15.31,8 (10,000 m)
• Deventer 7th January 1968: 7.26,2 (5000 m)
• Horten 21 January 1968 (NM): 15.29,5 (10,000 m)
• Bislett 28 January 1968 (EM): 15.20,3 (10,000 m)
• Grenoble on 15 February 1968 (Olympics) 7.22,4 (5000 m)
• Gothenburg 24.-25. February 1968 (VM): 176,340 (total)
• Inzell March 7, 1968 4.17,5 (3000 m)
• Inzell 9 March 1968: 7.16,7 (5000 m)

Personal bests : 41,8 – 2.06,1 – 7.16,7 – 15.20,3.

NM-bronze in cycling race two times, in 1957 and 1967.

Awarded Egebergs Honorary Award in 1967, won the Oscar statuette and Sport journalists’ stauett in 1968

Fred Anton Maier took four Olympic medals. Top hung the gold in the 5000 meters in Grenoble in 1968. Then had his Dutch rival Kees Verkerk set a world record in an early pair, but Maier fought back and retook the world record and secured the gold medal with eight tenths margin.

But just two days later came what he regarded as his biggest disappointment in his career. He was a big favorite of 10,000 box where he went in the first couple and led long.

But in a late couple came fairly unknown Swede Johnny Höglin who took gold, three little tenths ahead of Maier.

Maiers large seasonal

Video: Fred Anton Maier becomes world champion at Nya Ullevi in ​​1968

1968 Maiers great year outside the Olympics. When he had finally gotten enough speed on the short distances that he could assert itself on aggregate.

That year he became European champion at Bislett and world champion in Gothenburg, the latter with a world record overall. In addition, Olympic medals.

But he was not champion that year, despite the world record of 10,000 box. When he had been beaten by Magne Thomassen.

He debuted in the World Cup in 1960 and won 10,000 NM in 1961. Then he also took bronze overall. He has three championship silver in addition to gold from 1965, he took 11 distance wins.

Maier was part of the big skating revolution that was led by Stein Johnson and his new training methods in the early 60s.

11 world records

Fred Anton Maier front full set grandstands at Bislett in World Cup 1965

Photo: Scanpix / NTB scanpix

But in the international championships he got it rarely. Apart from 5000m at the World Championships at Bislett in 1965 he won never any championship distance outside in gold 1968.

He took the championship gold in 1965 in front of Per Ivar Moe, but otherwise it was short of championship for milslukeren from Tønsberg. He was too slow in the 500m and rarely good enough in 1500 either. And there was no single distance championships in those days, outside of the Olympics.

But at the longest distances he was in the world for many years, and he put a total of 11 world records. The first was at Notodden in March 1965 when he went on 7.28,1 5000 – the first in the world under 7.30. The last he also 5000, 7.16,7 in Inzell in March 1968.

Video: First world record of 10,000 meters, the Superbowl Bislett in 1966

Maiers record at Bislett

He also had a world record of 3,000 meters a while. And despite its difficulties in 500, he had the record overall.

But he was unable to follow up the success the year 1968 and after 7.- and 12th place in the European and World Championships the following year let him up.

NM medals also on bike

Fred Anton Maier was not only skater. He was also a very good cyclist, and in their juniorår it seemed as if that was what he would become. In 1957 – at age 18 – he took bronze in the pace race in NM. He repeated now ten years later. For this he Egebergs Honorary Award in 1967.

After his career was Maier farmer at home in Nøtterøy, interrupted by several years as a welfare secretary in the merchant marine.

6. December 2008, a few days before he turned 70, was erected a statue of Maier outside Tønsberg Turns clubhouse. In gratitude he gave his collection premium to the club.

Just a month ago he was also honored with the Tønsberg stadium named Maier Arena , at a ceremony where he himself got to attend.

– Fortunately, there is a statue of him there, and the name was Maier Arena. It was very well done that they got to it, says Johannesen said.

Also read what skate president Rune Gerhardsen writes about Fred Anton Maier at the Norwegian Skating Association website.

Video: How was Fred Anton Maier private, a fixture in 1969.

Video: Tønsberg stadium named Maier Arena.