Short-track speed skating explained

Short-track speed skating
Union:International Skating Union
Mgender:Yes
Category:Separate competitions for male and female
Equipment:ice skates, helmet, gloves, suit, shin guards, neck guard, safety glasses
Olympic:1988 (demonstration)
1992–present

Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of 111.111m (364.537feet). The rink itself is 60m (200feet) long by 30m (100feet) wide, which is the same size as an Olympic-sized figure skating rink and an international-sized ice hockey rink. Related sports include long-track speed skating and inline speed skating.

History

Short-track skating developed from speed skating events that were held with mass starts. This form of speed skating was mainly practised in the United States and Canada, as opposed to the international form (derived from Europe), where athletes skated in pairs. At the 1932 Winter Olympics, speed skating events were conducted in the mass start form. Competitions in North America tended to be held indoors, for example in Madison Square Garden, New York, and therefore on shorter tracks than was usual for outdoor skating.

In 1967, the International Skating Union (ISU) adopted short-track speed skating, although it did not organize international competitions until 1976. World Championships in short-track speed skating have been officially held since 1981, although events held in 1976–1980 under different names have since received the status of World Championships retrospectively. The name of the competition was changed several times before it was eventually titled the "World Short Track Speed Skating Championships" in 1989; the championships are now held annually.

Short-track speed skating was introduced as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. It was upgraded to a full Olympic sport in 1992 and has been part of the Winter Olympics ever since. There were only four short-track events in the 1992 Winter Games, but the program was expanded to include six events in 1994 and 1998, and finally eight events in the 2002 Winter Games. The events are the same for both men and women: 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, plus the relay event (5000 meters for men, 3000 meters for women). Since the 2018–19 World Cup season, a 2000-meter mixed-team relay was added, and debuted in the 2022 Winter Olympics. A 3,000-meter super-final event is included in the European Championships, but this is not currently part of the Olympic short-track program.

Rules

Skaters who commit one of the following offenses risk immediate disqualification from a race and having their times rendered invalid and being suspended from playing for a short time.[1]

In relay races, each team has four skaters, who can take turns freely by tagging. A skater may be relayed at any time except during the last two laps. Usually, the outgoing skater pushes the incoming skater to help the teammate to gain speed. If a team member falls, the next person needs to be tagged. A relay team would be penalized if they committed the following:

World records

Men

Distance Athlete Nation City Date Record time Ref[2]
500 mSalt Lake City, United States 11 November 2018 39.505 [3]
1000 mSalt Lake City, United States 12 November 20161:20.875 [4]
1500 mSalt Lake City, United States 13 November 2016 2:07.943 [5]
3000 mWarsaw, Poland 19 March 2011 4:31.891 [6]
5000 m
relay
Calgary, Canada 4 November 2018 6:28.625 [7]

Women

Distance Athlete Nation City Date Record time Ref
500 mSalt Lake City, United States 4 November 2022 41.416 [8] [9]
1000 mSalt Lake City, United States 4 November 2022 1:25.958 [10]
1500 mSalt Lake City, United States 12 November 2016 2:14.354 [11]
3000 mHarbin, China 15 March 2008 4:46.983 [12]
3000 m
relay
Beijing, China 23 October 2021 4:02.809 [13]

Mixed

Notable skaters

The following is the list of athletes who are Individual gold medalist at the Olympic Winter Games or Overall World Champion and have won Olympic Winter Games or Overall World Championships at least three times.

Men

AthleteNationBornOlympicsWorld Championships (overall)Olympics +
World Championships (overall)
World Championships
(distances, relay, team)
Total
TotalTotalTotalTotalTotal
Ahn Hyun-Soo
(Viktor Ahn)

19856028610712121522136413413956
Marc Gagnon197530254217723121594282211740
Charles Hamelin198441051337543121215103716191348
Kim Ki-hoon19673003121442172+1+2+5+6+3+3+12+
Apolo Anton Ohno19822248121434512856191191131
Lee Ho-Suk1986140522043609854171111426
Kim Dong-Sung1980110220133115107320138425
Shaoang Liu1998202410013025152845413

Women

AthleteNationBornOlympics World Championships (overall)Olympics +
World Championships (overall)
World Championships
(distances, relay, team)
Total
TotalTotalTotalTotalTotal
Yang Yang (A)1976221561078311226125433415655
Wang Meng1985411633067411218113322515444
Chun Lee-kyung1976401532057211010113241713434
Choi Min-jeong19983205410573010193123266133
Sylvie Daigle1962110252186311022+8+?31+28+11+1+40+
Jin Sun-yu1988300330036006103114163120
Suzanne Schulting19973126200251285128102315
Nathalie Lambert1962120332274421014+3+2+19+18+7+4+29+
Choi Eun-kyung1984220421034307123318166325
Shim Suk-Hee1997211411353249114116146525
Park Seung-hi199220351203323884113116421
Zhou Yang19913003011231155441385518

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Special Regulations & Technical Rules Short Track Speed Skating 2021. International Skating Union . 10 February 2022.
  2. Web site: Short Track Results – Current World Records. ISU. 4 February 2022.
  3. Web site: Results - Men's 500m Final A. shorttrack.sportresult.com. 11 November 2018. 12 November 2018.
  4. Web site: ISU World Cup 2016/2017 Salt Lake City – Men's 1000m Results. shorttrack.sportresult.com. 12 November 2016. 12 November 2017.
  5. Web site: ISU World Cup 2016/2017 Salt Lake City – Men's 1500m Results. shorttrack.sportresult.com. 13 November 2016. 12 November 2017.
  6. Web site: 2011 ISU World Team Championships – Men's 3000m Results. shorttrack.sportresult.com. 19 March 2011. 12 November 2017.
  7. Web site: ISU World Cup 2018/19 – Men's 5000m Relay Results. shorttrack.sportresult.com. 4 November 2018. 12 November 2018.
  8. Web site: Dutch break short track speed skating world records. 4 November 2022 . NBC Sports. 6 November 2022.
  9. Web site: ISU World Cup 2022/2023 Salt Lake City - Women's 500m Results. 6 November 2022. ISU.
  10. Web site: ISU World Cup 2022/2023 Salt Lake City - Women's 1000m Results. 6 November 2022. ISU.
  11. Web site: ISU World Cup 2012/2013 Salt Lake City - Women's 1500m Results. 20 February 2018. ISU.
  12. Web site: 2008 ISU World Team Championships, China - Women's 3000m Bracket #2 Results. 20 February 2018. ISU.
  13. Web site: ISU World Cup 2021/22 – Beijing (CHN) – Women – 3000 m Relay – Semifinals – Results. ISU. 4 February 2022.
  14. Web site: ISU World Cup 2021/22 – Beijing (CHN) – Mixed – 2000 m Relay – Semifinals – Results. ISU. 4 February 2022.