ISU

Jayne Torvill/Christopher Dean. Ice Dance. Bolero. These three terms probably will be connected forever in the world of Figure Skating. The British ice dancers made history with their Bolero Free Dance at the Olympic Winter Games 1984 in Sarajevo (at the time Yugoslavia) and revolutionized the sport.

Inline skating and ice skating are similar at first sight. Many Speed Skating champions also compete in inline competitions and the other way around. Yet, apart from the obvious differences between wheels on tarmac and blades on ice, the two sports require different techniques. Combining inline and ice is by no means easy.

Russia’s Evgenia Medvedeva is only 19 years old, but her career already is a story good enough for two skaters. Instant success at the senior level and two ISU World Figure Skating titles were followed by injury, disappointment, a hotly discussed move to Canada and a difficult post-Olympic year. Evgenia ended the season with a personal victory by returning on to the ISU World Figure Skating podium in Saitama, Japan, in March 2019 which gave her confidence for the future.

Last season, the Ice Pearls launched themselves into the Synchronized Skating scene. Based in Harbin, China, they became the first senior team from China to compete at an ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. The group now looks to continue elevating their exposure during the 2020 season—both as a team and for China—on the international stage.

Who would have guessed that a kids’ birthday party would lead Vincent Zhou (USA) into a successful figure skating career. When he was around five and a half, Vincent attended the party of a friend at a local ice rink. He had so much fun that his mother decided to register him for group lessons. 

There is bad news for Choi Min Jeong’s opponents next season. “I am feeling great at the moment,” says the quietly-spoken Republic of Korea skater from her training base in Seoul. “I’m currently doing a lot of core training and running. I’m really looking forward to the next season.”

When they started, there was no tradition of Pair Skating in their country, not any notable results. When they ended their career as Olympic Champions, China had become a Pair Skating powerhouse: Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao and their legendary coach Bin Yao built Chinese Pair Skating from scratch.

Even in a season crammed full of spectacular highlights, the race in which the Hungarian Men’s 5000m Relay team smashed the world record after 45 laps of thrilling competition stands out as a perfect illustration of Short Track Speed Skating at its very best.

As an Afro-American kid form the south side of Chicago, Shani Davis entered the international Speed Skating world as an exception in the early 2000s. In a prolific career over the course of more than fifteen years the 36-year-old American collected two Olympic titles, eleven ISU World Speed Skating titles, and 58 ISU World Cup Speed Skating wins. With 13,331 points he tops the all-time ranking in career ISU World Cup Speed Skating points.

Tracy Wilson, three-time ice dance World bronze medalist and 1988 Olympic medalist, broadcaster, mother and coach, tells us about her experience and the precious lessons learnt along all the different stages of her life and career.

Marianne St-Gelais was a bright light in the world of Short Track Speed Skating, and not just because she was so fast. The Quebec skater was undeniably competitive – and sometimes looked unbeatable over 500m, her favorite distance – and also incredibly popular. In the world of sport, many athletes like to look unreadable, wearing a serious ‘game face’ at all times. Not St-Gelais: she was always laughing, joking and making others have a good time, too.

Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) can look back at an exciting and successful season with many firsts: she reached her first ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, competed at her first ISU World Figure Skating Championships, won her first National title at the senior level and went to her first ISU World Team Trophy.

The winter season is over and it’s time for some summer vibes! It's so simple to join the campaign: just snap a pic, record a video, tag us and use #SkatingSummer.

The World's best Figure Skaters including reigning Olympic Champions Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) and Alina Zagitova (RUS), 2019 World Champion Nathan Chen (USA) and four-time Ice Dance World Champions Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA), two-time World Pairs Champions Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN) as well Olympic, World, European and Four Continents medalists are set to compete in the six events of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series in the 2019/20 season. The series also features accomplished veterans, crowd favorites as well as the next generation of up and coming Skaters.

The ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships is In Focus. Have a look at the top pictures of some of the fastest athletes out there.