Dutch · Heerenveen, Netherlands · Born 23 April 1986Dutch speed skater and the most decorated male speed skater in Olympic history, who became the only skater to win the same Olympic event three consecutive times with his run of 5,000m titles.
Sven Kramer was born on 23 April 1986 in Heerenveen, Netherlands - one of the sport's spiritual homes - the son of former Olympic speed skater Yep Kramer. He won the Dutch national allround title at 18 in 2004 and set his first 5,000m world record the following year, before making his Olympic debut at the 2006 Turin Games, where he won silver in the 5,000m and bronze in the team pursuit after falling and taking down a teammate in the semifinal. Kramer became the sport's dominant long-distance skater through the following decade, winning four consecutive World Allround Championship titles from 2007 and setting a 5,000m world record of 6:03.32 in 2007 that stood for a decade. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, he won gold in the 5,000m and bronze in the team pursuit, though his hopes of a second gold were dashed in the 10,000m when he was disqualified for a lane violation despite finishing first, an error made by his own coach during the race. Kramer successfully defended his 5,000m title at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, adding gold in the team pursuit and silver in the 10,000m, then won a historic third consecutive 5,000m gold at Pyeongchang 2018, becoming the only speed skater ever to win the same Olympic event three times in a row. He also became the first man to win eight Olympic speed skating medals. After back surgery in 2021, he competed at a fifth Olympics in Beijing 2022 without a medal before retiring, finishing with nine Olympic medals - four gold, two silver, three bronze - a record nine World Allround titles, and 21 World Single Distance Championship golds.
Becoming the only speed skater in history to win the same Olympic event three consecutive times, with his 2010, 2014, and 2018 5,000m gold medals
How They Played
Powerful, technically flawless distance specialist renowned for exceptional pacing and closing speed in the 5,000m and 10,000m events
Lasting Impact
Regarded as the greatest long-distance speed skater in history, whose nine Olympic medals and sustained dominance across three Olympic cycles set the standard for the sport
Career Honours
- 4x Olympic Gold Medalist
- 9 Olympic medals - most by any male speed skater in history
- Only skater to win the same Olympic event 3 times in a row (5,000m: 2010, 2014, 2018)
- Record 9x World Allround Champion, 21x World Single Distance Champion
Dutch Athletes