Dordrecht, Netherlands

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Optisport Sportboulevard Dordrecht (NED) 2017©International Skating Union (ISU) 858220996

Optisport Sportboulevard Dordrecht (NED) 2017©International Skating Union (ISU)

The ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships take place at the Sportboulevard, Dordrecht from January 11-13, and promise to be a fascinating test for the continent’s top Skaters.

With their fierce ISU World Cup rivals from Republic of Korea, Canada and China not present, it should be a close regional showdown, with skaters from the Netherlands, Hungary and Russia looking the favorites to take the spoils.

Martina Vacepina (ITA) ESTSSC 2018©International Skating Union ISU 904481990

Martina Valcepina (ITA) at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

Results in the Ladies’ field will certainly differ from last season’s European Championships in Dresden: back then, Italy’s Arianna Fontana was dominant, producing the sort of form that she’d take into the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Her compatriot Martina Valcepina finished in second place overall.

Suzanne Schulting (NED) WCST KAZ 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1071082782

Suzanne Schulting (NED) at the ISU World Cup Short Track in Almaty (KAZ) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

Fontana isn’t skating this time around, and the smart money will be on in-form Dutch racer Suzanne Schulting, recently named as her country’s 2018 Sportswoman of the Year, taking her crown – and the Netherlands perhaps dominating as Italy did last time.

Schulting has had a near-perfect season so far, winning World Cup gold in the 1000m in Calgary, Salt Lake City and Almaty, and 1500m gold in Calgary, too.

Sofia Prosvirnova (RUS) WCSTSS CAN 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1063986792

Sofia Prosvirnova (RUS) at the World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Calgary (CAN) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

Without Choi Min Jeong (KOR) to tussle with, who can stop the Dutch rocket? Young Russian Sofia Prosvirnova has hit some form – winning silver in the 1000m in both Salt Lake City and Calgary – and her compatriot Ekaterina Efremenkova has also been making podiums.

Natalia Maliszewska (POL) Sofia Prosvirnova (RUS) WCSTSS KAZ 2018©ISU  1071082680

Natalia Maliszewska (POL) and Sofia Prosvirnova (RUS) at the World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Almaty (KAZ) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

The 500m is the domain of Natalia Maliszewska, however: the speedy Pole has picked up gold over that distance at the World Cups in Salt Lake and Calgary already this season, although Hungary’s Petra Jaszapati beat her over the distance to win gold in Almaty.

Elise Christie (GBR) Marianne St Gelais (CAN) WCSTSS KOR 2018©ISU   875697814 (3)

Elise Christie (GBR) and Marianne St-Gelais (CAN) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Seoul (KOR) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

Also in contention should be Elise Christie (GBR) who will be returning to competition at the European Championships, the Dutch duo Yara van Kerkhof – who had a great Olympics and finished 5th overall in this competition in 2018 – and Rianne de Vries. Veronique Pierron of France is also having a strong season.

Sjinkie Knegt (NED) ESTSSC 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

Sjinkie Knegt (NED) at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

In the Men’s competition, expect very different results from last time around, too. Last year Sjinkie Knegt put in an astonishingly dominant performance, winning a hat-trick of gold medals – in 500m, 1000m and 1500m. Like Schulting, it propelled him to a great Olympic Games.

But Knegt, who’s had a quieter start to this season, will not be skating in Dordrecht after tearing two muscles in his left leg last month in an incident involving a forklift truck.

Shaoang Liu (HUN) WCSTSS CAN 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1063969444

Shaoang Liu (HUN) at the World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Calgary (CAN) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

That could leave Shaoang Liu (HUN) as the man to beat in the Netherlands. The Hungarian has been on fire: gold in the 1000m and silver in the 500m at both Calgary and Almaty, plus a new World Record as part of the 5000m Relay team make him a hot favorite here.

Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) WCSTSS CAN 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 1063989076

Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Calgary (CAN) 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

His brother, Shaolin Sandor Liu, has also been impressing – winning 1000m gold in Salt Lake City – and they’ll certainly form half of the quartet to beat in the Relay, too. Elsewhere, look out for Stijn Desmet (BEL), Vladislav Bykanov (ISR) and Thibaut Fauconnet (FRA).

Thibaut Fauconnet (FRA) ESTSSC 2018©International Skating Union (ISU) 904479038 (1)

Thibaut Fauconnet (FRA) at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2018©International Skating Union (ISU)

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Find results and classifications here. Follow the discussion on social media by using #ShortTrackSkating and #OneHandDown, and find out where to watch the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships.