ISU

The clap skate caused a Speed Skating revolution in 1997. In the 1997/98 Speed Skating season nine out of ten world records in both the men's and women's events were broken thanks to the innovation. But it wasn't as new an idea as it seemed to be. The first patent for a clap skate was granted to one Charles Corneby in England in 1884, but somehow the idea was never put into practice in international competition.

Getting to the top is not easy, staying there is even more difficult. After winning Olympic 500m Speed Skating gold, the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships title and the 500m as well as the overall ISU World Cup Speed Skating in 2018 Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) was struggling to get back to winning ways last season. 

Norway and the Netherlands dominated Speed Skating in the 1970s, but the most significant innovator in the sport during that era came from Switzerland. Franz Krienbühl (SUI) was the first to enter the Speed Skating rink in a one-piece skin suit in 1974. 

The ISU is releasing the competition rules & formats, entry quotas & details and all general information for the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating 2019/20.

The ISU is releasing the competition rules & formats, entry quotas & details and all general information for the ISU World Cup Speed Skating 2019/20.

Ard Schenk (NED) completed the 1500m in 1 minute and 58.7 seconds. It may not sound very fast compared to the current world record of 1.40,17, but on the outdoor ice of Davos, Switzerland, back in 1971, the Dutchman was the first to break the two-minute barrier in Speed Skating history.

The ISU herewith informs its Members that based on recent contacts with the company Icederby Europe, the ISU in principle has agreed that Icederby conducts a Test Run for 1 Lap Time Trials and Mass Start Skating Races on the 220 meters track at the Thialf arena in Heerenveen on September 7, 2019.

Summer is not over yet. There is still time to participate in the #SkatingSummer campaign and share your passion!

The International Skating Union (ISU) has published the International Speed Skating & Short Track Speed Skating Competitions for the season 2019/20.

While Europe is suffering from the August heat, Bart Swings (BEL) is already looking forward to the winter. After having won three world titles and seven medals in total at the World Roller Games in Barcelona, the Belgian skating champion switched from wheels to blades by the end of July already.

Every season the ISU invites its Members to send applications to host events as part of the Challenger Series. For the season 2019/20 two applications from Asia were received, Taipei and Hong Kong, to host an event as part of the Series. During its meeting last March, the ISU Council decided to include the event proposed by the Chinese Taipei Skating Union to be held in Taipei City mostly due to more suitable dates.

Arguably the best 1000m skater of her generation, Christine Nesbitt (CAN) was inducted to the Olympic Oval Hall of Champions during the 2019 ISU World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Calgary. In 2017 she had already been inducted in Canada's Speed Skating Hall of Fame. The Melbourne born Canadian celebrated her biggest success on home soil at the Richmond Olympic Oval at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, when she took gold in her signature race.

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.

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.

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.