Short-track speed skating
3000 meters short-track relay during the 2014 Winter Olympics
Highest governing bodyInternational Skating Union
Characteristics
Mixed-sexYes
TypeSeparate competitions for male and female
Equipmentice skates, helmet, gloves, suit, shin guards, neck guard, safety glasses
Presence
Olympic1988 (demonstration)
1992–present
Preparation of the ice
Placement of rubber cones

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 111.111 metres (364.54 ft). The rink itself is 60 metres (196.85 ft) long by 30 metres (98.43 ft) 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.[1]

  • Impeding: Intentionally pushing, blocking, tripping or otherwise causing an impediment for another skater
  • Off track: Skating outside the designated track
  • Assistance: Giving physical assistance to another skater. For example: pushing a teammate from behind for an extra boost, or allowing a teammate to lean on another for stability in corners.
  • Shooting the line or Kicking out: Driving the foot in lead ahead to reach the finish faster, resulting in the lead foot lifting off the ice and creating a dangerous situation for others
  • Unsportsmanlike conduct: Acting in a manner not befitting an athlete or a role model. Including cursing at a competitor, kicking your feet, striking other skaters or officials, etc.
  • Equipment: Not wearing the proper safety equipment, losing equipment during the race, or exposure of skin not on face or neck.
  • False Start: Leaving before firing of the starter's pistol. The updated 2023 ISU regulations state that after the first false start, the offender would have to leave.
  • Did not finish: Usually due to a fall, the skater did not finish the race.
  • Did not skate: The skater did not go to the starting line.

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:

  • Not abiding by previous rules that applied to individual skaters
  • Not receiving a tag from a teammate
  • Exchanging after the center red line when there are three laps to go

World records

Men

DistanceAthleteNationCityDateRecord timeRef[2]
500 m Wu Dajing ChinaSalt Lake City, United States11 November 201839.505[3]
1000 m Hwang Dae-heon South KoreaSalt Lake City, United States12 November 20161:20.875[4]
1500 m Sjinkie Knegt NetherlandsSalt Lake City, United States13 November 20162:07.943[5]
3000 m Noh Jin-kyu South KoreaWarsaw, Poland19 March 20114:31.891[6]
5000 m
relay
Csaba Burján
Cole Krueger
Shaoang Liu
Shaolin Sándor Liu
 HungaryCalgary, Canada4 November 20186:28.625[7]

Women

DistanceAthleteNationCityDateRecord timeRef
500 m Xandra Velzeboer NetherlandsSalt Lake City, United States4 November 202241.416[8][9]
1000 m Suzanne Schulting NetherlandsSalt Lake City, United States4 November 20221:25.958[10]
1500 m Choi Min-jeong South KoreaSalt Lake City, United States12 November 20162:14.354[11]
3000 m Jung Eun-ju South KoreaHarbin, China15 March 20084:46.983[12]
3000 m
relay
Selma Poutsma
Suzanne Schulting
Yara van Kerkhof
Xandra Velzeboer
 NetherlandsBeijing, China23 October 20214:02.809[13]

Mixed

DistanceAthleteNationCityDateRecord timeRef
2000 m
relay
Kim A-lang
Kim Dong-wook
Kim Ji-yoo
Kwak Yoon-gy
 South KoreaBeijing, China24 October 20212:35.951[14]

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

Athlete Nation Born Olympics World Championships (overall) Olympics +
World Championships (overall)
World Championships
(distances, relay, team)
Total
Total Total Total Total Total
Ahn Hyun-Soo
(Viktor Ahn)
 South Korea
 Russia
198560286107 12121522136413413956
Marc Gagnon  Canada197530254217 723121594282211740
Charles Hamelin  Canada198441051337 543121215103716191348
Kim Ki-hoon  South Korea196730031214 42172+1+2+5+6+3+3+12+
Apolo Anton Ohno  United States198222481214 34512856191191131
Lee Ho-Suk  South Korea198614052204 3609854171111426
Kim Dong-Sung  South Korea198011022013 3115107320138425
Shaoang Liu  Hungary199820241001 3025152845413

Women

Athlete Nation Born Olympics World Championships (overall) Olympics +
World Championships (overall)
World Championships
(distances, relay, team)
Total
Total Total Total Total Total
Yang Yang (A)  China197622156107 8311226125433415655
Wang Meng  China198541163306 7411218113322515444
Chun Lee-kyung  South Korea197640153205 7211010113241713434
Choi Min-jeong  South Korea199832054105 73010193123266133
Sylvie Daigle  Canada196211025218 6311022+8+?31+28+11+1+40+
Jin Sun-yu  South Korea198830033003 6006103114163120
Suzanne Schulting  Netherlands199731262002 51285128102315
Nathalie Lambert  Canada196212033227 4421014+3+2+19+18+7+4+29+
Choi Eun-kyung  South Korea198422042103 4307123318166325
Shim Suk-Hee  South Korea199721141135 3249114116146525
Park Seung-hi  South Korea199220351203 323884113116421
Zhou Yang  China199130030112 31155441385518

See also

References

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