# Oscar Mathisen Award

Beginning in 1959 the Oscar Mathisen Award (also known as the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Award, the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy, and sometimes the Skating Oscar) has been awarded annually to the skater with the most outstanding speed skating performance of the season. The award was introduced by Oslo Skøiteklub (Oslo Skating Club, OSK) to commemorate the legendary Norwegian speed skater Oscar Mathisen (1888–1954). The winner is awarded a miniature of the statue of Oscar Mathisen created by the sculptor Arne Durban. The statue is placed outside Frogner Stadium in Oslo, the venue of many of Oscar Mathisen's most memorable victories.
For the first eight years (1959–1966) no repeat winners were allowed, and women were not eligible to win until 1987. Since its inception in 1959 it has been awarded 66 times to 50 skaters (41 men and 9 women) from 10 countries. Eric Heiden from the United States holds the record for most awards (4 times in 1977–1980) while Gunda Niemann from Germany is the only woman who received this award more than once (3 times in 1995–1997).

## Oscar Mathisen Award winners

| Year | Winner | Country |
| 1959 | Knut Johannesen | Norway |
| 1960 | Boris Stenin | Soviet Union |
| 1961 | Henk van der Grift | Netherlands |
| 1962 | Jonny Nilsson | Sweden |
| 1963 | Nils Aaness | Norway |
| 1964 | Ants Antson | Soviet Union |
| 1965 | Per Ivar Moe | Norway |
| 1966 | Kees Verkerk | Netherlands |
| 1967 | Kees Verkerk | Netherlands |
| 1968 | Fred Anton Maier | Norway |
| 1969 | Dag Fornæss | Norway |
| 1970 | Ard Schenk | Netherlands |
| 1971 | Ard Schenk | Netherlands |
| 1972 | Ard Schenk | Netherlands |
| 1973 | Göran Claeson | Sweden |
| 1974 | Sten Stensen | Norway |
| 1975 | Yevgeny Kulikov | Soviet Union |
| 1976 | Sten Stensen | Norway |
| 1977 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1978 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1979 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1980 | Eric Heiden | United States |
| 1981 | Amund Sjøbrend | Norway |
| 1982 | Tomas Gustafson | Sweden |
| 1983 | Rolf Falk-Larssen | Norway |
| 1984 | Gaétan Boucher | Canada |
| 1985 | Hein Vergeer | Netherlands |
| 1986 | Geir Karlstad | Norway |
| 1987 | Nikolay Gulyayev | Soviet Union |
| 1988 | Tomas Gustafson | Sweden |
| 1989 | Leo Visser | Netherlands |
| 1990 | Johann Olav Koss | Norway |
| 1991 | Johann Olav Koss | Norway |
| 1992 | Bonnie Blair | United States |
| 1993 | Falko Zandstra | Netherlands |
| 1994 | Johann Olav Koss | Norway |
| 1995 | Gunda Niemann | Germany |
| 1996 | Gunda Niemann | Germany |
| 1997 | Gunda Niemann | Germany |
| 1998 | Ådne Søndrål | Norway |
| 1999 | Rintje Ritsma | Netherlands |
| 2000 | Gianni Romme | Netherlands |
| 2001 | Hiroyasu Shimizu | Japan |
| 2002 | Jochem Uytdehaage | Netherlands |
| 2003 | Anni Friesinger | Germany |
| 2004 | Chad Hedrick | United States |
| 2005 | Shani Davis | United States |
| 2006 | Cindy Klassen | Canada |
| 2007 | Sven Kramer | Netherlands |
| 2008 | Jeremy Wotherspoon | Canada |
| 2009 | Shani Davis | United States |
| 2010 | Martina Sáblíková | Czech Republic |
| 2011 | Bob de Jong | Netherlands |
| 2012 | Christine Nesbitt | Canada |
| 2013 | Ireen Wüst | Netherlands |
| 2014 | Jorrit Bergsma | Netherlands |
| 2015 | Brittany Bowe | United States |
| 2016 | Ted-Jan Bloemen | Canada |
| 2017 | Sven Kramer | Netherlands |
| 2018 | Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen | Norway |
| 2019 | Kjeld Nuis | Netherlands |
| 2020 | Natalya Voronina | Russia |
| 2021 | Nils van der Poel | Sweden |
| 2022 | Nils van der Poel | Sweden |
| 2023 | Jordan Stolz | United States |
| 2024 | Jordan Stolz | United States |

### Number of awards by country

| Awards won | Country |
| 18 | Netherlands |
| 15 | Norway |
| 11 | United States |
| 6 | Sweden |
| 5 | Canada |
| 4 | Germany |
| 4 | Soviet Union |
| 1 | Czech Republic |
| 1 | Japan |
| 1 | Russia |

### Number of awards by person

| Awards won | Skater | Country | Year(s) |
| 4 | Eric Heiden | United States | 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 |
| 3 | Johann Olav Koss | Norway | 1990, 1991, 1994 |
| 3 | Gunda Niemann | Germany | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
| 3 | Ard Schenk | Netherlands | 1970, 1971, 1972 |
| 2 | Shani Davis | United States | 2005, 2009 |
| 2 | Tomas Gustafson | Sweden | 1982, 1988 |
| 2 | Sven Kramer | Netherlands | 2007, 2017 |
| 2 | Sten Stensen | Norway | 1974, 1976 |
| 2 | Jordan Stolz | United States | 2023, 2024 |
| 2 | Nils van der Poel | Sweden | 2021, 2022 |
| 2 | Kees Verkerk | Netherlands | 1966, 1967 |
| 1 | Nils Aaness | Norway | 1963 |
| 1 | Ants Antson | Soviet Union | 1964 |
| 1 | Jorrit Bergsma | Netherlands | 2014 |
| 1 | Bonnie Blair | United States | 1992 |
| 1 | Ted-Jan Bloemen | Canada | 2016 |
| 1 | Gaétan Boucher | Canada | 1984 |
| 1 | Brittany Bowe | United States | 2015 |
| 1 | Göran Claeson | Sweden | 1973 |
| 1 | Bob de Jong | Netherlands | 2011 |
| 1 | Rolf Falk-Larssen | Norway | 1983 |
| 1 | Dag Fornæss | Norway | 1969 |
| 1 | Anni Friesinger | Germany | 2003 |
| 1 | Nikolay Gulyayev | Soviet Union | 1987 |
| 1 | Chad Hedrick | United States | 2004 |
| 1 | Knut Johannesen | Norway | 1959 |
| 1 | Geir Karlstad | Norway | 1986 |
| 1 | Cindy Klassen | Canada | 2006 |
| 1 | Yevgeny Kulikov | Soviet Union | 1975 |
| 1 | Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen | Norway | 2018 |
| 1 | Fred Anton Maier | Norway | 1968 |
| 1 | Per Ivar Moe | Norway | 1965 |
| 1 | Christine Nesbitt | Canada | 2012 |
| 1 | Jonny Nilsson | Sweden | 1962 |
| 1 | Kjeld Nuis | Netherlands | 2019 |
| 1 | Rintje Ritsma | Netherlands | 1999 |
| 1 | Gianni Romme | Canada | 2000 |
| 1 | Martina Sáblíková | Czech Republic | 2010 |
| 1 | Hiroyasu Shimizu | Japan | 2001 |
| 1 | Amund Sjøbrend | Norway | 1981 |
| 1 | Ådne Søndrål | Norway | 1998 |
| 1 | Boris Stenin | Soviet Union | 1960 |
| 1 | Jochem Uytdehaage | Netherlands | 2002 |
| 1 | Henk van der Grift | Netherlands | 1961 |
| 1 | Hein Vergeer | Netherlands | 1985 |
| 1 | Leo Visser | Netherlands | 1989 |
| 1 | Natalya Voronina | Russia | 2020 |
| 1 | Jeremy Wotherspoon | Canada | 2008 |
| 1 | Ireen Wüst | Netherlands | 2013 |
| 1 | Falko Zandstra | Netherlands | 1993 |