Calgary, 17 February 1988: Tomas GUSTAFSON of Sweden, 1st, in action during the final of the 5000m speed skating race at the XV Olympic Winter Games. Credit: Sports Illustrated/R. MacksonOther names: GUSTAFSON, Sven Tomas
GUSTAFSON, Tomas S.
Born: 28 December 1959
Birthplace: Katrineholm (Sweden)
Nationality: Sweden
Sport: Skating
ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Lake Placid 1980
Sarajevo 1984
Calgary 1988
Albertville 1992
AWARDS
Olympic medals:
Gold: 3
Silver: 1
Other results:
World Championships
Silver: 1 (83)
Distance Skating King of the 1980s
At the 1984 Sarajevo Games, speed skater Tomas Gustafson won a gold medal in the 5,000m and a silver in the 10,000m. In the first race, he beat Igor Malkov by only one-fiftieth of a second. In the second race he lost to Malkov by one-twentieth of a second. Between Olympics, Gustafson struggled through knee surgery, meningitis and the death of his father. In the Calgary 5,000m, Gustafson trailed Leo Visser's pace by eight hundredths of a second with only 400m to go. However he skated an exceptional final lap to win by a third of a second. In the 10,000m, Gustafson finally gained an easy victory, setting a world record and winning by almost eight seconds. In 1998, Gustafson's wife, Elisabet, won a bronze medal in curling.
