Speed Skating at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games:

The world record was 5:13.8, set in 1953 at Medeo by Soviet Rimma Zhukova. At the recent World Championships, the distance had been won by [Lidiya Skoblikova] (URS-1960), [Eevi Huttunen] (FIN-1959), and Inga Artamanova (URS-1958). Skoblikova had already won the 1,500 metres in Squaw Valley. The other two Soviet skaters in the event, who had to be considered as no non-Soviet woman had been on the all-around podium at the World Championships since 1952, were [Tamara Rylova] and [Valentina Stenina], wife of top men's skater, [Boris Stenin]. Stenina had recently won the 1960 World Championships in all-around, and had been second at this distance.

Twenty skaters came to the mark. Rylova was in the third pair and took the lead, but her time of 5:30.0 would place her only ninth. The next favorite to skate was Stenina in the seventh pair. Her time of 5:16.9 was considered fast, and put her into a comfortable lead. Huttunen was up two pairs later, and although she was ahead of Stenina's pace through 2,200 metres, she struggled on the final laps, finishing in 5:21.0. Skoblikova was in the last pair, the 10th, but the day was cold, and the ice was still good. She led throughout, finishing in 5:14.3, the second fastest time ever. It was her second gold medal of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and four years later in Innsbruck, she would win all four women's races.