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Rare winner’s medal awarded for speed skating at the Sapporo 1972 Winter Olympics. Gilt silver, 64 mm x 83 mm, 181 gm, designed by Kazumi Yagi and Ikko Tanaka and struck by the Mint Bureau of the Finance Ministry (Tokyo). The front features a vertical and raised curving line next to recessed concentric ovals, designs meant to denote a ski slalom trail and a speed skating stadium and to produce feelings of peace and security; the reverse features the embossed emblem of the XI Olympic Winter Games; and the attached upper plaque features a pictogram of a skater to the front, and the reverse features the name of the sport: “Speed Skating.” The medal includes its original blue ribbon with Olympic stripes. Complete with its original blue velvet case, which contains its accompanying gold medal winner’s pin; the case's inner hinge is loose on the right side. Our first example of the beautiful gold winner's medal from the 1972 Winter Olympics.
Speed skating at the Sapporo 1972 Winter Olympics took place from February 4 to 12 at the Makomanai Open Stadium, where 118 competitors from 18 nations competed in eight events. This edition of the Games marked the first time electronic timing was used, recording results to the hundredth of a second. The Netherlands topped the medal table, with four golds and nine overall, led by Ard Schenk's three gold medals (1,500, 5,000, and 10,000-meter events); Erhard Keller of West Germany won gold in the 500-meter event. Winners from the women’s events were Anne Henning (500-meter) and Dianne Holum (1,500-meter) of America, Monika Pflug (1,000-meter) of West Germany, and Stien Kaiser (3,000-meter) of the Netherlands.
