2018 Winter Olympics: Short Track Speed Skating Guide and Preview for PyeongChang
With the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea fast approaching, here’s everything you need to know about short track speed skating.
Short track speed skating is now one event, but an umbrella term that encompasses four men's and four women's races. Each race takes place on an oval track of ice that is 111.2 meters long, while the entire sheet of ice is 60 meters long and 30 meters wide.
In PyeongChang, short track competition begins with the men's 1500m qualification heats on Feb. 10 and wraps up with the men's 5000m relay finals on Feb. 23.
A full schedule of all 10 events can be seen here.
In December, SI.com published a Rookie’s Guide to Short Track Speed Skating with information about each specific event, including the rules, history, 2014 medal winners and current world champion.
The short track races put a premium on explosiveness and strategy, but the skaters' synchronized movements and long, smooth strides give the competition an element of elegance. Speed skating is the quintessential Winter Olympic sport—it's nearly impossible not to enjoy, but it's also highly unlikely that you'll watch any non-Olympic action. So now is the perfect time to brush up before you get your fill that'll last you four years.
In the January 29-February 5 Olympic Preview issue of Sports Illustrated’s magazine, our expert Brian Cazeneuve gave his medal predictions. Here are his picks for short track speed skating:
MEN
500 Meters
● Wu Dajing, China
● Shaolin Sándor Liu, Hungary
● Samuel Girard, Canada
Wu says his sports hero is Michael Phelps.
1,000 Meters
● Shaolin Sándor Liu, Hungary
● Wu Dajing, China
● Hwang Dae-heon, South Korea
Sándor’s girlfriend is Elise Christie.
1,500 Meters
● Hwang Dae-heon, South Korea
● Charles Hamelin, Canada
● Sjinkie Knegt, Netherlands
In 2014, Knegt became the first Dutch person to win a short-track medal.
5,000-Meter Relay
● South Korea
● Canada
● Netherlands
The U.S. team could nab a medal.
WOMEN
500 Meters
● Choi Min-jeong, South Korea
● Marianne St-Gelais, Canada
● Elise Christie, Great Britain
South Korea has never won gold or silver at 500.
1,000 Meters
● Choi Min-jeong, South Korea
● Kim Boutin, Canada
● Elise Christie, Great Britain
Christie has dyed her hair a dozen different colors before events.
1,500 Meters
● Choi Min-jeong, South Korea
● Shim Suk-hee, South Korea
● Kim Boutin, Canada
In 2015, Choi was world champ at age 16.
3,000-Meter Relay
● South Korea
● China
● Canada
All but five of South Korea’s 26 winter golds have come in short track.
Check out the rest of Brian’s medal predictions for all 102 events in the magazine.
