With the 2018/2019 season fast approaching, check out our list of international skaters to watch this season. Alongside some seasoned veterans you will find some young skaters looking to make their mark this year on the oval.
By: Maria Dalton
Photos by: @schaatsfoto's & @jetskewiersma
Aside from the mainstays like Kramer, Wust, Sablikova – who have already found incredible success in previous seasons – find below some of the skaters that should be on your radar as the 2018/2019 season gets underway.
Patrick Roest
The 22 year-old Dutchman had a stellar 2017/2018 season, capturing two Olympic medals, as well as the World Allround title. Patrick Roest previously won the Junior World Championship in 2014 & 2015 and has continued to excel on the ice, capturing a silver medal in the 1500m at the 2018 Olympics and being crowned World Allround Champion this past year. Coming from the incredibly strong Dutch skating program, Roest has all the necessary skills to continue excelling on the international stage and will be looking to add even more hardware to his ever-growing collection. Although his focus remains on Allround competitions, one can expect that his past showings in the 1500m will leave him hot on the heels of fellow Dutchman and teammate Kjeld Nuis as we head into this season. Patrick Roest will be sporting black and yellow as he skates for Lotto Jumbo this season.
Nao Kodaira
Nao Kodaira continues to reign supreme when it comes to the 500m. She was atop the podium at every competition last season and with her times continuing to drop lower and lower there is no doubt that she is at the top of her game. Her meteoric rise to the top started at the 2017 World Sprint Championships in Calgary where she clinched first place and was crowned the 2017 World Sprint Champion. She was crowned Olympic Champion this year in the 500m and became the first woman to break the 37-second barrier at sea level, while also becoming the first Japanese woman to be crowned an Olympic champion in speed skating. After finding success on and off throughout the years, there is no doubt that Kodaira is at the top of her game and poised to keep excelling this season in the 500m.
Kim Min-Seok
At only 19 years of age Kim Min-Seok put the speed skating world on notice after a fantastic 2017/2018 season. He became the first Asian man to medal in the 1500m at the Olympics games with his bronze medal in Pyeongchang last year, and helped the South Korean’s capture the silver medal in the team pursuit in front of a home crowd. Along with his accomplishments at the Winter Olympics, Kim Min-Seok helped set two new Junior World Records in the Team Sprint and Team Pursuit at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Salt Lake City. The Korean is trending upwards, and while he may still be a lot younger than most of the major competitors on the world stage, he has shown great success in the past. Kim Min-Seok will be looking to find his place among some of the top skaters in the world in the coming years, during which we are sure the best is yet to come for the young Korean.
Joy Beune
Joy Beune was a force to be reckoned with at the Junior World Championships this past year, where she was crowned Junior World Champion in Salt Lake City. She set new Junior World Records in three distances at the event (1000m, 1500m and 3000m) and also helped her compatriots set a new record in the Team Pursuit while claiming gold for the Netherlands. We are eager to see how she fares at the senior level, and whether or not her previous successes will translate into even more hardware as she moves into the adult ranks. Beune will be skating for Lotto Jumbo this year as she commences her first season at the senior level.
Havard Lorentzen
After capturing two Olympic medals in Pyeongchang (gold in the 500m, silver in the 1000m), and being crowned the 2018 World Sprint Champion, Havard Lorentzen appears to be locked and loaded as we head into this season. His stellar performances last season saw him reach new heights with his skating, and solidified him as one of the best in the sport right now in the 500/1000m. The Norwegian program has found lots of success on the world stage in the past few years under the guise of Jeremy Wotherspoon. If Lorenzten’s past successes are any indication of what’s to come, he will keep raking in the hardware this season.
Be sure to keep an eye on these skaters as the season gets underway and make sure you check out our coverage of Long Track events throughout the 2018/2019 season.
You may notice that no Canadians were included on this list, but rest assured, we haven’t forgotten about the Canucks. Stay tuned for an article outlining some Canadian skaters to watch this season.
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