ISU

There was another trio of individual gold medals for the Rep. Koreans on the final day of competition at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating in Dordrecht on Sunday. While they repeated their previous day’s hat-trick, world 500m champion Lara van Ruijven(NED) won in her specialty and also grabbed gold with the Dutch team in the ladies’ relay to the delight of the home crowd. Only a photo finish prevented the Netherlands team repeating the success in the men’s event, where they were pipped on the line by Canada.

In an action-packed final day of the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships Ireen Wúst kept her cool to win the Ladies’ 1500m. The 33-year-old Dutch superstar relied on her vast experience to seize her career fifth 1500m world title and her 20th world title in total, including Allround honors. Russia's Evgenia Lalenkova and Elizaveta Kazelina took silver and bronze. Canada’s Ivanie Blondin won a career-second Mass Start world title after a chaotic final sprint, with Kim Bo-Reum (KOR) and Irene Schouten (NED) collecting silver and bronze respectively.

The Rep. Koreans dominated the first day of finals at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating in Dordrecht, Netherlands, winning three of the four individual events on Saturday as Kim Dagyeom (KOR) and Lee Yu Bin (KOR) each topped an individual World Cup podium for the first time. Suzanne Schulting (NED) claimed her first World Cup medal on home ice by winning the Ladies’ 1500m, while China clinched the gold in the 2000m mixed team relay.

Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) left the rest of the 1000m field shattered at the ISU World Single Distances Championships on Saturday. The fastest man ever in the 500m broke the 1:06 barrier in the double sprint distance to add another world record to his tally. The man whose mark he beat, Kjeld Nuis (NED), conceded more than a second to take silver. Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil earned bronze after Thomas Krol (NED) was disqualified. To conclude Saturday's action, the Netherlands won their seventh consecutive Men's Team Pursuit title in a world-record time, with Japan coming second to grab their first ever world championships medal in this event.

On the last 10 occasions it has been contested, Martina Sáblíková (CZE) has won the Ladies’ 5000m title at the ISU World Single Distances Championships, so when she clocked a world record over the distance on Saturday in Salt Lake City, it seemed only a miracle could keep her from claiming an 11th consecutive gold. That miracle went by the name of Natalya Voronina. After Sáblíková's 6:41.18, the 25-year-old Russian broke the 6:40 barrier with 6:39.02 to seize her first major international title. In the 1000m, 21-year-old Jutta Leerdam grabbed her first world title, and the first individual gold for the Netherlands, three days into the tournament.

There were mixed feelings all over the place after the Ladies’ 500m on Friday. Nao Kodaira (JPN) won the world title, but finished outside the world record she wanted to break, while Angelina Golikova missed out on the gold medal but secured the Russian record for at least another year. In the Ladies’ Team Pursuit, Japan did skate a world record to retain their title. The Netherlands took silver while Canada  went home with bronze.

Dutch Short Track Speed Skater Sjinkie Knegt returns to the ice at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Dordrecht, Netherlands this weekend after being sidelined for more than a year by two horrific injuries.

Graeme Fish (CAN) won the gruelling men's 10000m after an enthralling battle of attrition to kick-off a spectacular second day of competition at the World Single Distances Championships in Salt Lake City on Friday. The 22-year-old Canadian smashed his team-mate and mentor Ted-Jan Bloemen's world record by almost three seconds in 12:33.86. Bloemen took silver and Patrick Beckert (GER) seized bronze. In the men's 500m Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) overcame a dislocated shoulder to take gold in 33.72 seconds. His compatriot Ruslan Murashov became the third ever skater to break the 34-second barrier to take silver in 33.99 while Japan’s Tatsuya Shinhama collected the bronze medal. 

Ted-Jan Bloemen already had an Olympic title and two world records under his belt, but going into the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Salt Lake City he had never won a world title. The Dutch-born Canadian put that right in the men's 5000m. With Graeme Fish coming third and Jordan Belchos fifth, Canada could boast three skaters in the top-five. Eight-time 5000m champion Sven Kramer (NED) took silver. Canada looked to have won the Men's Team Sprint too, but were disqualified for an illegal changeup and the Netherlands ran away with the gold medal.

"It’s always like the first time," smiled Martina Sáblíková (CZE), holding her precious gold medal tight. The 32-year-old star of the long distances grabbed her sixth career 3000m world title and her 16th overall at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships. Olympic champion Carlijn Achtereekte (NED) took silver and Natalya Voronina (RUS) came third in Salt Lake City on Thursday. In the Ladies’ Team Sprint, the Netherlands retained their world title, with junior Femke Kok as starting skater.

The ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating season concludes in Dordrecht, Netherlands from 14-16 February – the final event on the calendar before the all-important ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in March.Who will finish overall champion in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m categories, and ranked No.1 for the season? It’s a particularly difficult call in the Men’s field, with several racers staking their claim, but a fine run of form in the second half of the season from Republic of Korea’s Park Ji Won has made him the man to beat.

Don’t miss any of the action from the season’s thrilling ISU World Cup Short Track events – including the first day of qualifying rounds which will be streamed live to all fans on the ISU Skating YouTube page without any geo restriction.

The pinnacle of the 2019/20 season will be held on the fastest ice of the world. It should be a recipe for world records, but there are no guarantees. Last season the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Final at the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City (USA) featured thee world records in the Men's competition. Multiple skaters could break the magic 1:06 barrier in the 1000m, after Nuis set the world record at 1.06,18 last year. Nuis and his team mate Thomas Krol (NED) are a bit more tentative about record speeds. "It all depends on the conditions," Krol said. The lower the air pressure, the better it is for speed.

The eyes of the Salt Lake City home crowd will be on world record holder Brittany Bowe (USA) defending her title in the 1000m at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships on Saturday, but there's a lot more exciting racing to enjoy. Will Martina Sáblíková (CZE) be able to bring the last standing Calgary world record to Salt Lake City, will Miho Takagi (JPN) win her first individual ISU World Singe Distances Speed Skating title in the 1500m or will Ireen Wüst (NED) be able to skate a world record in that event for the first time in her career?

This weekend was the last ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating race before the Final. Here are the highlight videos to help you catch up on what happened.