⚡⛸️ Speed Skating

Long track speed skating races two skaters at a time against the clock on a 400 metre oval, while short track sends four to six skaters into one pack race on a 111 metre track. Same sport by name, completely different tactics.

🚀 Start Here

• Speed Skating Terms and Slang
• Best Speed Skating Athletes of All Time
• Where Speed Skating Is Most Popular
• The Tournaments That Matter
• Top Speed Skating Brands

⏳ Speed Skating History

• 13th to 14th Centuries: Emergence of Speed Skating in Northern Europe with races taking place on frozen canals in the Netherlands.
• 1662: First witnessed international Speed Skating match in Hyde Park, London; Dutchman M. Vandernberch was the victor.
• 1849: The Skating Club of Edinburgh organized the first officially recorded Speed Skating race in Britain.
• 1885: Formation of the International Skating Union (ISU). Introduction of the “Axel jump” by Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen.
• 1890s: Introduction of the “crouched” racing style by Canadian athletes and the construction of the first indoor artificial ice rinks.
• 1924: Inclusion of Speed Skating in the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France; Norway and Finland led in medals.
• 1960: Introduction of women’s Speed Skating events to the Winter Olympic Games; Soviet athletes dominated.
• 1980s: Dominance of Soviet Union and East Germany in both men’s and women’s events.
• 1992: Debut of Short Track Speed Skating in the Winter Olympics; emergence of South Korea and China as global powers in short track.