Geir Karlstad
Geir Karlstad is a Norwegian former speed skater and national team speed skating coach.
Biography
Although best at the longest distances, Geir Karlstad became Junior World Allround Champion in 1982 and, as a senior, won bronze in both the World and European Allround Championships in 1989. Among the dominating speed skaters in the 1980s, Karlstad competed at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics, winning no medals. At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, he won the gold medal on the 5,000 m and the bronze on the 10,000 m while skating for Lillestrøm SK. He also represented Aktiv SK, but in his youth he represented SK Ceres.A severe back injury forced him to end his career before the 1994 Winter Olympics of Lillehammer held in his homeland. He had originally intended to end his career at those Winter Olympics. From 1998 to 2002, he was the national team coach of the Norwegian speed skating team. Karlstad received the Oscar Mathisen Award in 1986.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Karlstad at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
| Winter Olympics | 1992 | – | 1992 |
| World Allround | – | – | 1989 |
| European Allround | – | – | 1989 |
| Norwegian Allround | 1989 1990 | 1985 1986 1988 1991 1992 | – |
| Norwegian Single Distance | 1987 1987 1988 1992 | 1987 1990 1990 | – |
Records
World records
Over the course of his career, Karlstad set five world records:| Discipline | Time | Date | Location |
| 10,000 m | 14.12,14 | 16 February 1986 | Inzell |
| 10,000 m | 14.03,92 | 15 February 1987 | Heerenveen |
| 5,000 m | 6.45,44 | 22 November 1987 | Heerenveen |
| 5,000 m | 6.43,59 | 4 December 1987 | Calgary |
| 10,000 m | 13.48,51 | 6 December 1987 | Calgary |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Karlstad skated his personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
| 500 m | 39.41 | 17 January 1992 | Heerenveen | 36.45 |
| 1,000 m | 1:22.5 | 25 January 1981 | Notodden | 1:13.60 |
| 1,500 m | 1:55.24 | 22 March 1992 | Calgary | 1:52.06 |
| 3,000 m | 3:59.78 | 19 March 1987 | Heerenveen | 4:03.22 |
| 5,000 m | 6:43.59 | 4 December 1987 | Calgary | 6:45.44 |
| 10,000 m | 13:48.29 | 19 January 1992 | Heerenveen | 13:43.54 |
| Big combination | 160.189 | 19 January 1992 | Heerenveen | 157.396 |
Karlstad's personal record on the 3,000 m was not a world record because Leo Visser skated 3:59.27 at the same tournament.
Karlstad has an Adelskalender score of 159.596 points. His highest ranking on the Adelskalender was seventh place.