Clas Thunberg finished on every speed skating podium at Chamonix 1924. With three golds, a silver and a bronze, he collected more medals than any other athlete at the inaugural Olympic Winter Games, and followed up that feat by winning the world allround titles in Oslo in 1925 and in Davos in 1928.

Ivar Ballangrud was only 19 when he first got himself noticed on the international speed skating scene, though he made his arrival a little too late to earn a place at the inaugural Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. One month later, however, the young Norwegian outskated newly crowned Olympic 10,000m champion Julius Skutnabb of Finland over the same distance at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Helsinki. Two years later Ballangrud won the first of his four titles and 11 medals in all at the world championships held on home ice in Trondheim.