The ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships will be held in Neuchatel (SUI) March 15 and 16. A total of 23 teams representing 18 ISU Members have been entered for the fifth edition of the Championships that was a biennal event and has become annual beginning in 2017. The previous editions took place in Mississauga (CAN) in 2017, Helsinki (FIN) in 2013 and in Zagreb (CRO) in 2015 and 2018.
At age twenty Tingyu Gao (CHN) claimed bronze in the 500m at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic medal in Speed Skating. Although he still has a long career ahead of him, the youngster aims to be at the top of his game for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and takes a philosophical approach: "Success is a journey, not a destination."
Miho Takagi (JPN) broke the magic 1:50 barrier in the Ladies’ 1500m on Sunday at the World Cup Final in Salt Lake City. The Japanese ace outskated World Champion Ireen Wüst (NED) in the final pairing and finished in 1:49.83. Nao Kodaira (JPN) won the second 500m, and Irene Schouten (NED) surprised herself to win the concluding Mass Start event.
The Japanese men won two gold medals on the final day of the 2018/19 Speed Skating season in Salt Lake City, USA. Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) won the 500m and Ryosuke Tsuchiya (JPN) took his first individual World Cup gold in the Mass Start. Kjeld Nuis (NED) skated to another world record, having recorded the world’s fastest 1000m on Saturday.
Korea’s men confirmed their total dominance at the 2019 World Short Track Championships as Lim Hyo Jun lifted the overall title by a huge margin and then helped his team storm the 5000m relay.
Suzanne Schulting (NED) capped the perfect season by being crowned the overall Ladies’ winner at the 2019 World Short Track Championship at the Arena Armeec in Sofia on Sunday.
Having skated world records in the 3000m and the 5000m last week in Calgary, Martina Sáblíková (CZE) ended the season with yet another world record to win the 3000m at the World Cup final in Salt Lake City on Saturday. Brittany Bowe (USA) also clocked a world record in the 1000m on home ice. Nao Kodaira (JPN) won the season's penultimate 500m, but fell 0.11 short of the world record.
The Utah Olympic Oval lived up to its reputation as the fastest ice in the world on Saturday. With the World Cup coming to a climax, Pavel Kulizhnikov (RUS) and Kjeld Nuis (NED) crushed the 500m and 1000m world records. In the 500m and the 1000m a total of five men skated faster than the previous world records. Patrick Roest (NED) won the Men's 5000m with a personal best, while Russia's Aleksandr Rumyantsev clinched the long distance World Cup in dramatic fashion.
Alexandra Trusova of Russia jumped into the gold medal position in Zagreb on Saturday to retain her title as World Junior Ladies champion. Overnight leader Anna Shcherbakova, also from Russia, had to settle for the silver medal and Ting Cui (USA) claimed the bronze.
Korean duo Lim Hyo Jun and Hwang Dae Heon won gold in unconventional fashion as a series of crashes, penalties and restarts marked two of the more unusual Men’s finals in the history of the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Sofia on Saturday.
The Netherlands won their first ever Ladies’ gold medal at a World Short Track Speed Skating Championships as Lara van Ruijven triumphed in a fast and furious 500m final in Sofia on Saturday.
Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha of Canada danced to the top of the podium at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2019 in Zagreb on Saturday to end a 13-year gold medal drought for Canadian Ice Dance at the junior level. Russia’s Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva/ Nikita Nazarov claimed the silver medal in their debut at the event and their compatriots Sofia Shevchenko/Igor Eremenko took the bronze.
Short Track speed skaters wear some pretty artistic helmets these day, but the very best athletes will be hoping that their headgear is covered up this weekend.
Tomoki Hiwatashi (USA) battled his way to the gold medal in an unpredictable Men’s Final at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2019 in Zagreb on Friday. Russia’s Roman Savosin rose from sixth to claim the silver medal and the bronze went to Daniel Grassl of Italy.
Russian champion Anna Shcherbakova skated to the lead in the Junior Ladies Short Program at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Zagreb on Friday, outscoring teammate and defending World Junior champion Alexandra Trusova by less than half a point. Ting Cui (USA) finished the day in third place.