Long live allround

The International Skating Union recently shared their championships schedule for the next few seasons and many speed skating fans, skaters and personalities have shared their opinion about the fact that the Allround speed skating championships won’t be a yearly event anymore. Here's the calendar:

We, at Passion/Speed/Skating think that the Allround world championships needs to remain a yearly event and that not doing so would be a bad thing for the sport of long track speed skating. To give you a more complete overview of our position, we teamed up with active members of the speed skating community and the #LongLiveAllround movement.

Jackob Savard, writer at Passion/Speed/Skating

The Allround world championships being my favorite event of the year and 10k being the distance I prefer to watch, I am obviously disappointed to see these two aspects of speed skating slowly being sent to oblivion by the ISU. Allround championships have been held every year since 1893 without any intermission except for the two World Wars. Thinking that there won’t be any in 2021, and that they’ll most likely skip other seasons after that makes me sad, but the number one thing that I found problematic is that, instead of working on improving the Allround championships to make them more appealing, the ISU just facilitates its death.

Maria Dalton, writer at Passion/Speed/Skating

I myself am very disappointed, along with many other fans with the changes to Allround. While the ISU should realistically take into account the opinion of spectators and fans, what is particularly concerning is the fact that they continue to annoy the disdain expressed by numerous skaters. Sven Kramer recently discussed how he may attempt to put together a commercial allround at Thialf - something that many skaters (according to him) are supportive of. I’m worried that the ISU has become out of touch with the athletes and fans themselves and seeks to improve the “convenience” of the international skating calendar, for me I just don’t understand how you can ignore the greats of the sport telling you this is a terrible idea, especially given the longstanding nature of the competition.

Julia Helgasson (@JuliaHelgasson)

I come from Estonia, a country where speed skating is not as deeply established as in the Netherlands or Norway however, it does not mean that this magnificent sport plays absolutely no role in Estonia. I could of course talk about how important allround is globally and refer to traditions as well as its structural and technical importance for the survival of real speed skating as we all know it – but I’d rather prove my points by bringing the example of Estonia. Particularly, I’d like to discuss why almost no one risks to take up allround in Estonia. In order to stay afloat in the sea of incredibly strong professionals from such allround nations as the Netherlands, Estonia must have something to offer in return, something credible, be that technique, specific skating style, strategy or experience. Assuming that the skaters are supposed to gain their training experience from the skaters of other countries, let us remember the amount of time the longest distances for men and ladies in a course of one season before allround championships is raced: two times per year. The lack of continuous rivalry and anticipation of another round kills the urge to get better at the said distances in the skaters preventing them from practicing long distances more which subsequently kills potential allrounders in their core. That being said, ISU does not make the situation any better by eliminating the annual nature of allround championships. With the lack of persistence comes the lack of necessity to train for allround. In this case, actually, ISU doesn’t even need to eliminate allround by any new changes in their communications: at this pace, the skaters themselves will be left unmotivated and unwilling to become allrounders. As a result, allround will simply die out, fade away, cease to exist. At this point, ISU will only have to put a fine point at the end of this “natural” process that they have launched. And they will not be the ones to blame.

SkatingSource (@SkatingSource)

Generally I would love for the Allround championships to remain an annual competition, mainly based on the tradition of the championships and fan/community support. I think it’s important for ISU to listen to the skaters and the fans, but also continue to make innovations in the sport (which is a tricky balancing act). Since the allround change was announced, most people (including athletes) I have talked to have been upset, which is usually a bad sign.

Update Skate (@Update_Skate)

I think my main point is something I'd call the "ISU trap". It's applicable to both the 10km and allround. In short, the ISU decides to organize less and less of both of the events, with less and less skaters being able to compete. Then they conclude: "few skaters are interested in these events anymore, let's organize them even less. It's a vicious circle, to be honest. The ISU should be supporting the roots of their sport and not lose the majority of their current fanbase in order to attract a few new fans. Apart from the world championships, speed skating doesn't have classical events. Which means, if you reduce the amount of World Championships even more, speed skating will become one of the many sports that people watch 1x in 4 years: namely during the Olympics. Allround should be supported, not destroyed by the ISU. The allround events should be something every skater wants to participate in. And currently, there are many skaters who could, but just don't do it, like Denis Yuskov, Peter Michael, the Koreans, etc. The ISU should look into WHY they don't participate and make sure everyone wants to participate next time, rather than concluding that allrounding is not popular anymore.

We think our message needs to be heard all across the speed skating world in order to make a difference and you can help us spread this message.

Please consider sharing this article to as much people as you can and make sure you follow our Facebook page, our Instagram account and our Twitter account for further development on the topic.

What is your opinion? Feel free to message us or to use #LongLiveAllround on twitter to make your opinion heard.

Long Live Allround!

Read More

The stage is set for the World Allround Championships in Calgary

Forty-eight of the world’s best skaters will be converging in Calgary at the Olympic Oval this weekend for the Allround Championships.

By Maria Dalton

Photo by Bert van Lobenstein

This event will surely be exciting as new faces, along with past Olympic and World Champions alike take to the ice Saturday.

Canada’s skaters feeling good heading into this weekend

Valerie Maltais, who made the switch to long-track this past summer, has been focusing on small goals throughout the season and is excited heading into her first Allround championships “I’m really excited for the weekend and I’m excited to race at home… It’s hard to have expectations for the weekend as I’m so new in the sport, but I’m feeling good.” Her transition from short to long track has been challenging and while some may think she makes it look easy she argues that it was a lot of hard work “I was talking to the girls this morning and saying how ‘maybe I make it look easy’ but you girls were there every day, and it wasn’t easy… Once you put on those clap skates it’s so different and it was hard to build the speed, and the pressure. It took a good couple months to not almost trip every time I was doing an acceleration.” Maltais is eager to continue her journey on the 400m track and we are excited to see her progress in the coming seasons.

Isabelle Weidemann, who has had an incredibly successful season so far, will be making her allround debut this weekend. Going into this season she had a goal to step onto the podium for the first time, something she has done on numerous occasions this season “it’s been so awesome to step on the podium multiple times this year, and I’m just really proud to represent Canada.” The Ottawa native feeling good as the first day of competition approaches “this is my first world Allround so I’m excited to do some sprints and just experience everything.”

Having skated a PB at time trials this past weekend, Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu is feeling good into this weekend and is excited to race in front of a home crowd “everybody is cheering for you and expecting something out of you. I think it’ll be just positive energy for my race.” After finishing 18th last year in Amsterdam, he is looking for strong performances in the 500m and 1500m to put him into a good position to make the cut on the final day “my big strengths are in the 500 and 1500, so I’ll focus mainly on that and try to have the best 5k possible, so I can be in that top-6 to race the 10k.”

Canada’s skaters are ready to rumble this weekend in Calgary in front of a home crowd and look to continue building on previous successes this season.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, follow our Facebook page, our Instagram account and our Twitter account for daily news and results about speed skating.

Read More

Travel diary - A Quebecer at the World Allround Championships in Amsterdam

Camille F. and Nicolas Beaulieu are presently travelling the world. After Europe, they will be heading south to Africa. Both retired speed skaters, having the opportunity to attend a World championship in the Netherlands was a dream come true. Camille shared her experience with Passion/Speed/Skating a few days ago.

Text, photos and video

by Camille F. (translated from french by Carl Savard)

Sunday, March 11 was the last day of the World allround championships in Amsterdam. Speed skating has been part of my life for many years. I started coaching at the age of 12 and skated for ten years. For me, it has always been a passion, a positive way to burn energy and to push myself physically and mentally. I deeply believe that kids need role models, people to look up to, to inspire them. For a speed skater or a fan of the sport, witnessing a speed skating world championship in the Netherlands is THE ultimate dream, since speed skating is the national sport in that country. Knowing that, our expectations were really high when we chose to buy tickets for the last day of competition during our trip through Europe and it exceeded our expectations.  The passion of the crowd, as we were making our way to the stadium, was impressive. Thousands of people wearing colourful hats, toque, scarfs and even one-piece suits in the colours of their favourite countries were wandering through the streets of Amsterdam, getting out of buses and trams. Everyone, big and small was getting ready for an action-packed and colourful day and pumped to cheer for their favourite athletes.

The 1500m and 10 000m events of the men’s competition were at the program on the day that we attended the Championship. The stadium was filled with a joyful atmosphere. I was amazed by this first experience. People in the crowd were screaming, singing in Dutch, clapping tirelessly. Music would stop only during the starting procedures of the races and the positive energy and festive vibe would pick up where it left off as soon as the skaters were back in action.

My biggest surprise came from the fact that the speed skating fans assembled in the stadium were not just cheering for their own. They were also encouraging other skaters notwithstanding of their origin or their performances. Canadians, Norwegians, Japanese  per example were receiving as much love and warmth from the crowd as the local athletes.

The race that will be forever engraved in my memory was when the Dutch legend Sven Kramer and Sverre Lunde Pedersen from Norway were facing each other in the 10 000m. When Pedersen fell during the race, Kramer was able to get in the front and take quite a lead. However, Pedersen got back up and with a few laps to go was able to catch up with  Kramer and the place went nuts! The atmosphere reached its pinnacle at that moment. Pedersen went on to pass Kramer, win the race and finish second in the overall ranking with Kramer finishing fourth.

There were other memorable moments like 22 years old Patrick Roest, being crowned  “Master of the world” in his own country and Kjeld Nuis doing victory laps to celebrate his Olympic successes during a break at the Allround championship.

It was an amazing experience to be there and I’m sure this beautiful day inspired people young and old to pass along their passion for speed skating.

Read More

Un autre championnat extérieur à venir?

Quelques jours après le Championnat du monde toutes distances d’Amsterdam, les rumeurs d’un futur championnat extérieur dans un stade émergent déjà.

By Jackob Savard Photo: Isle van der Meer et Unknown / Oslo Museum

Au lendemain du spectaculaire Championnat du monde toutes distances qui s’est déroulé au mythique stade olympique d’Amsterdam, des Norvégiens ont démontré leur intérêt de faire revivre le patinage de vitesse au Stade du Bislett à Oslo en 2022 dans le cadre d’un championnat toutes distances. Cette compétition célèbrerait les 100 ans des premiers coups de patin dans ce stade.

Le stade du Bislett, qui a longtemps accueilli des compétitions majeures comme des championnats d’Europe et  des mondiaux, n’a pas eu de compétition de patinage de vitesse depuis les années 90. Le stade accueille maintenant des compétitions d'envergure d’athlétisme et elle est le domicile d’une équipe de football. Le triple champion du monde et quadruple champion olympique norvégien Johann Olav Koss a été l’un des premiers à proposer l’idée.

So now we have a chance to do this in 2022 after the Olympics in Oslo on Bislett stadium! 100 years anniversary for skating at Bislett and Norway at top of the world with skating again! It was an amazing weekend and hope we can do it! Thanks @CBvNL for showing us the winterway! https://t.co/wOU2jP21W4

— Johann Koss (@JohannKoss) 12 mars 2018

Avec le titre de champion du monde junior d’Allan Dahl Johansson, le titre olympique sur 500m d’Havard Lorentzen, la victoire de l’équipe de poursuite à Pyeongchang, les médailles olympiques et les récentes performances aux mondiaux de Sverre Lunde Pedersen, l’engouement à l’égard du patinage de vitesse est à son paroxysme en Norvège.

Ce dossier sera à suivre dans les prochaines années. Connaissant l’engouement causé par le championnat qui s’est déroulé à Amsterdam, ce serait une excellente chose pour le sport d’avoir une autre compétition de ce genre bientôt.

Read More

Another outdoor championship in the next few years?

A couple of days after the end of the Allround world championships that were held in Amsterdam, rumors about having another outdoor World championships in an open stadium have emerged.

By Jackob Savard

Photo by Isle van der Meer et Unknown / Oslo Museum

After the spectacular Allround world championships that were held in the legendary Amsterdam olympic stadium, Norwegians have come up with the idea of organising a World championship at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo in 2022. Holding the event in 2022 would align with the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of skating at the Bislett Stadium.

World and European championships have already been raced at the Bislett Stadium but there hasn’t been one since the 90’s. The stadium is now used for track and field competitions and football games. The three times world champion and four times Olympic champion Johann Olav Klass was one of the first to make the suggestion.

So now we have a chance to do this in 2022 after the Olympics in Oslo on Bislett stadium! 100 years anniversary for skating at Bislett and Norway at top of the world with skating again! It was an amazing weekend and hope we can do it! Thanks @CBvNL for showing us the winterway! https://t.co/wOU2jP21W4

— Johann Koss (@JohannKoss) 12 mars 2018

With Allan Dahl Johansson’s world junior title, Havard Lorentzen’s Olympic title on 500m, Norvegian team pursuit victory in Pyeongchang, Sverre Lunde Pedersen olympic medals and recent results at the allround championships, speed skating is regaining its popularity in Norway. The timing would be perfect to organize an event like this in Oslo.

This will be a topic to follow in the next few years. Knowing the hype the Amsterdam’s championships had, it would be awesome for speed skating to have another big event like this in 2022.

Read More

New world champions were crowned in Salt Lake City

Some new  junior world champions were crowned this weekend at the Utah olympic oval.

By Jackob Savard

Photos: Schaats Foto’s

While some senior skaters were in Amsterdam for the Allround world championships, the best juniors in the world were in Salt Lake City to fight for the world junior champion title. A lot of personal bests, national bests and junior world records were beaten this weekend in Salt Lake City. In fact there was exactly 32 new personal bests, 11 new national records, 84 new junior national records and 10 new junior world records.

Joy Beune’s domination

The ladies’ competition was dominated by skaters from the Netherlands all through the weekend. In the overall ranking, Joy Beune finished in first place with 153.776 points while her teammates and defending champion Jutta Leerdam and Elisa Dul finished in second and third with respectively 154.418 and 157.306 points.


Beune established the new junior world record on 1500m, 1000m and 3000m and completely dominated the competition. The only distance she didn’t win was the 500m were she finished in a respectable fifth place.

A tight men’s competition

The men’s competition featured Olympic medalist Min-Seok Kim, Olympian and world junior record older on 1500m and 3000m Allan Dahl Johansson. Some upcoming stars like David La Rue, Tyson Langelaar, Francesco Betti and Gabriel Odor were also in action.

At the end of the competition, Allan Dahl Johansson from Norway was crowned world junior champion with 143.060 points. The new champion was followed by Canadian Tyson Langelaar who got 145.061 points and Italian Francesco Betti who got 145.557 points.

We need to note David La Rue’s great performances of the weekend despite is result on 5000m that cost him in the overall ranking. La Rue who’s only been skating on long track for a year, won a silver medal on 1500m and finished in fourth place on 1000m.

No big surprises in the team events

If you followed the ladies’ individual competition, you will not be surprised to learn that the Netherlands won the team sprint and the team pursuit events. The Korean men’s team was unbeatable and established a new junior world record of 1:20,46 to win the men’s team sprint. Korea also won the team pursuit.

Canada shined in the mass start

Canadian rising stars David La Rue and Béatrice Lamarche won their respective mass start event. The two skaters with a strong short track background were too strong for the competition and won their first world champion titles.

Who impressed you the most this weekend?

Read More

Patrick Roest captures World Allround Title

Two Dutchmen, Patrick Roest and Marcel Bosker find themselves on the podium as the World Allround Championships come to a close in Amsterdam. Sverre Lunde Pedersen of Norway finished in second just behind Roest after suffering an unfortunate fall in the 10k. Reigning champion Sven Kramer finished just off the podium in fourth position.

By Maria Dalton

Photos: Screen capture from ISU skating channel and Schaats Foto's

Patrick Roest takes the crown

Patrick Roest improved upon his 2nd place finish from last year in Hamar to capture his first World Allround title. The 22 year old Dutch skater had a solid day and finished with 154.547 points. He finished just behind Sverre Lunde Pedersen in the 1500m with a time of 1:49.87, but went on to finish in 2nd in the 10k with a time of 13:44.94. Roest has had a strong season, having captured two medals at last months Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Sverre Lunde Pedersen finished the World Allround Championships just behind Roest in 2nd place. He had a great 1500m race, winning his pair and also setting a new track record of 1:48.33 - besting the previous mark set by Koen Verweij. The Norwegian was sitting in first position heading into the 10000m, however he suffered an unfortunate fall during the race. Although he was still able to win his pair against Sven Kramer, it wasn’t enough to keep him atop the leaderboard. He finishes the event with 154.941 points, having won 2 out of the 4 distances (5000m and 1500m).

Marcel Bosker of the Netherlands rounded off the podium at this years World Allround Championships with 155.953. The Dutchman finished in 7th in the 1500m with a time of 1:51.27, and in 3rd in the 10000m with a time of 13:49.49.

Reigning champion Sven Kramer finished just off the podium in 4th place with 156.003 points. The Dutch legend struggled today in the 10000m, finishing in 6th with a time of 14:05.70.

Nils van der Poel of Sweden finished in 6th position overall, but set a new track record in the 10000m with his time of 13:40.38 en route to winning the distance. He becomes the first Swede to win the allround 10k since 1983.

Ted-Jan Bloemen highest Canadian finisher

No Canadians advanced to the 10k, as Ted-Jan Bloemen was the highest Canadian finisher at this years World Allround Championships in Amsterdam, finishing in 16th place. Bloemen had the best finish of the Canadians in the 1500m, coming in 6th place with a time of 1:51.22. The Canadians stuck together as Denny Morrison finished just behind Bloemen in 17th place overall. Morrison, who is continuing his incredible comeback season, finished in 11th in the 1500m with a time of 1:52.09. Rounding off the Canadians in the field today was Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu who finished in 18th position overall, and posted a time of 1:53.76 in the 1500m.

Read More

Miho Takagi dethrones Wüst to capture the Allround title

The rainy weather continued in Amsterdam as Miho Takagi was crowned the Women’s Allround World Champion in Amsterdam on Saturday night. Ireen Wüst and Annouk van der Weijden rounded off the podium. On the men’s side, Patrick Roest, Sverre Lunde Pedersen and Sven Kramer lead the pack heading into the final day of competition.

By Maria Dalton

Photo: Screen capture from ISU skating channel and Schaats Foto's

Miho Takagi captures the Allround title

No amount of rain could stop Miho Takagi on her way to the top of the podium. The 23 year old Japanese skater improved upon her 3rd place finish from last year’s Allround championships in Hamar, NOR. Her stellar racing this weekend saw her atop the podium two times, in the 500m and 1500m. Takagi set a new track record in the 1500m en route to capturing the Allround title with her time of 1:58.82. She skated in the last pair of the women’s competition, and her time of 7:29.93 in the 5000m was enough to edge out Ireen Wust for first place. Takagi has had a stellar season, having won three medals in Pyeongchang, and she is currently ranked number one overall in the World cup rankings.

Defending champion Ireen Wüst finished in 2nd place with 167.758 points. She also found herself atop the podium twice this weekend, but had a slight misstep when she finished in 9th place in the 500m. Wüst finished just behind Takagi in the 1500m with a time of 1:58.89, but went on to capture the top spot in the 5000m with her time of 7:26.85. Annouk van der Weijden of the Netherlands, capped of both her career and the podium with 169.840 points. She finished with a time of 2:00.94 in the 1500m, and 7:29.12 in the 5000m.

Patrick Roest looks to dethrone Sven Kramer

Patrick Roest, a bronze and silver medallist in Pyeongchang, leads after day one of the men’s competition with 76.677 points. The young Dutchman claimed the top spot in the 500m with a time of 36.97. Roest finished just off the podium in the 5000m in 4th place with a time of 6:37.07. Roest finished in second place at last year’s Allround championships, and will be looking to dethrone his compatriot Sven Kramer tomorrow en route to winning his first Allround title.

Sverre Lunde Pedersen of Norway sits in second place with 76.801 points. He finished in 5th place in the 500m with his time of 37.42 seconds. The 5000m Olympic bronze medallist set a new track record in the 5000m, breaking the track record set by Sven Kramer a few pairs earlier, with a time of 6:33.81. Pedersen will be looking to build momentum heading into the final day of the men’s competition, and improve upon his third place finish at last years Allround Championships in Hamar.

Reigning champion Sven Kramer currently sits in third place with 76.845 points,and looks to defend his crown as the men’s competition comes to a conclusion tomorrow. Kramer posted a time of 6:34.15 in the 5000m, enough to momentarily hold the track record, and finished in 2nd place in the distance. The Dutchman finished the 500m in 6th place with a time of 37.43, and will be looking to make up some ground tomorrow as he looks to defend his Allround title.

Denny Morrison leads the Canadian squad

Denny Morrison finished the first day of the men’s competition in 16th place with 79.904 points. Morrison finished with a time of 37.97 in the 500m, and 6:59.34 in the 5000m. Fellow Canadian Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu, finished just behind Morrison in 17th place with a total of 79.972 points. He finished with a time of 37.65 in the 500m and 7:03.22 in the 5000m. The final Canadian in action today was Ted-Jan Bloemen who sits in 19th place with 80.118 points. The current 5000m and 10000m world record holder struggled in today’s rainy conditions and finished with a time of 38.81 in the 500m, and 6:53.08 in the 5000m. Ivanie Blondin was the lone Canadian woman in action this weekend in Amsterdam. She struggled under the rainy conditions and finished in 13th place.

Read More