Ants Antson
Ants Antson ( born November 11, 1938 in Tallinn) is a former Soviet speed skater and Estonian sports official.
Career
Antson was successful as a teenager as a track and field athlete, tennis players and hockey players before he devoted himself to speed skating. From 1963, he was trained at Kalev Tallinn by the former Olympic champion Boris Shilkov that led him to the top. In 1964, he won the title at the Soviet Championships over 10,000 m, finished second in the 5,000 m and fifth in the all around. In the same year he made his debut in international competitions and was all-around European Champion. At the Olympic Winter Games in 1964 in Innsbruck, he won the gold medal in the 1,500 meters and finished fifth in the 10,000 m. He then turned in Oslo with 4:27,3 minutes on a world record in the 3,000 m. In speed skating all-around world championship in 1964, however, he fell over 500 meters and finished second in the overall ranking only 15th place. Nevertheless, the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy he was awarded at the end of the season.
In the Soviet -around championships Antson won 1965 Silver, 1966 Bronze, 1967 Gold and 1968 Silver again. In addition, he won in 1967 and 1968 the Soviet Championship title over 1,500 m. Internationally, he could not achieve a medal at the 1967 all-around championships: in the World Cup and the European Championship, he came fourth.
Antson went at the Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble in 1968 as the defending champion again over 1,500 m at the start and was at the same time with his compatriot Valery Kaplan twelfth. He then retired from active competition and henceforth worked in the Sports Association of the Estonian SSR. After the Singing Revolution Antson was in the Estonian Olympic Committee and was at the Olympic Winter Games in 1992 for the first Olympic flag-bearer of Estonia after independence from the Soviet Union.
Honors
- Winner of the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy 1964
- Estonian Sportsman of the Year 1964
- Order of the Estonian Red Cross 2nd class (2001)