He was one of the greatest speed skaters of the winter Olympics. In 1928 he won the gold for the first time at Saint Moritz, before almost winning the grand slam at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936 winning three out of four Olympic events. Victorious in the 500, 5000 and 10,000 m, he had to settle for bronze in the 1,500 m.He brought his Olympic career to an end at the age of 33, with a total of 7 medals, four of which were gold.