Speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics

Speed skating at the XII Olympic Winter Games
Pictogram for speed skating
Venue	Eisschnellaufbahn
Dates	February 5-14
No. of events	9
Competitors	111 from 19 nations
← 1972 1980 →

Speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics, was held from 5 February to 14 February. Nine events were contested at Eisschnelllaufbahn Innsbruck. This was the first Olympics which included the men's 1000 metres, and the first change to the men's program at the Olympics since the elimination of the all-round event in 1928.

The Soviet Union led the medal table, with four gold and nine overall. The silver medal for East Germany's Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich was the country's first in speed skating.

Tatyana Averina led the individual medal table, winning a medal in all four women's events, two gold and two bronze. The most successful male skaters were Norway's Sten Stensen and the Netherlands' Piet Kleine, who both won one gold and one silver medal, splitting the long distance events.

Eight out of the nine events, including the debuting men's 1000 metres, had new Olympic records set, with only the men's 5000 metres record remaining unbroken.

Nineteen nations competed in the speed skating events at Innsbruck.

Sports-Reference 1976 Olympics - Speed Skating