ISU

Ted-Jan Bloemen (CAN) broke Sven Kramer’s (NED) 5000m world record in Salt Lake City (USA) last December, to set up a great Olympic rivalry for the long distances in men’s Speed Skating. On Sunday February 11th it’s showdown in the PyeongChang 5000m race.

The Netherlands grabbed the first three long track Speed Skating medals of PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, sweeping the podium in the ladies’ 3000m. 

The Olympic Cauldron was lit by 2010 Olympic gold medalist and Korean super star Figure Skater Kim Yuna on Friday marking the start of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. 

The Speed Skating tournament at PyeongChang 2018 starts with an exciting clash of generations in the ladies’ 3000m. 31-year-old Ireen Wüst (NED) and 30-year-old Martina Sáblíková (CZE) shared the past three Olympic 3000m gold medals between them. Wüst won in Torino 2006, Sáblíková in Vancouver 2010 and in Sochi 2014 it was Wüst again, but this season Miho Takagi (JPN) and Antoinette de Jong (NED) knocked on the door.

Athletes from all around the world will compete at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and each one has a story to tell. Five inline prodigies who recently switched to Speed Skating with an ISU Development Transition program, qualified for PyeongChang 2018.

In a prelude to the Olympic Speed Skating season Joey Mantia (USA) won last year’s World Mass Start title at the Gangneung Oval in South Korea. It was his first world title on ice, but the Florida born athlete already won multiple world titles in inline skating before he turned to the ice in 2011.

The International Skating Union is happy to introduce its special correspondents for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Sang-Hwa Lee has not found the true speed just yet this season. The twofold Olympic 500m champion and world record holder is not worried however.

“I literally owe my life to speed skating,” says Laurent Dubreuil. Both his father and mother were Olympic speed skaters back in 1988 and 1992.

Ivanie Blondin (CAN) won her career first gold medal racing over a classic speed skating distance when she triumphed in the ladies 3000m in four minutes, 4.86 seconds in Erfurt on Sunday.

Kjeld Nuis (NED) equaled the track record to secure his second 1000m gold of the World Cup in Erfurt on Sunday. The world champion matched the time set by Shani Davis (USA) in 2009 when he finished in one minute 8.40 seconds to beat Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen (NOR) in the final pair.

After clinching her career first World Cup victory in Saturday’s 500m in Erfurt, Vanessa Herzog (AUT) struck gold again in Sunday’s 1000m, clocking one minute 15.26 seconds. Hege Bøkko (NOR) came second in 1:15.52, and Yekaterina Shikhova (RUS) finished third in 1:16.06.

Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen (NOR) took his third 500m World Cup win of the season by clocking 34.85 seconds in Erfurt on Sunday. Jan Smeekens (NED) came second in 34.95 and Alex Boisvert-Lacroix (CAN) took bronze in 35.00.

Following the discussions between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), PyeongChang Olympic Organizing Committee (POCOG), the National Olympic Committees (NOC) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (KOR), the IOC President Thomas Bach announced today that a delegation from DPRK will participate at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Ireen Wüst (NED) took her first World Cup win of the season when she grabbed gold in Saturday’s 1500m in Erfurt. Marrit Leenstra (NED) took silver and Ida Njåtun (NOR) collected the bronze medal.