World championships 2022: A legendary weekend in short track speed skating

While the weekend of competition was marked by the last laps of Charles Hamelin's legendary career, Choi Min-jeong added to her own legend by winning her 4th overall world championship title this weekend at Maurice-Richard arena. 

By Carl Savard

Photo by Tony Chung

Choi Min-jeong still dominant

After being postponed for a few weeks, the ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Championships finally took place last weekend in Montreal. After a victory in the 1500m and a first place in the B final in the 500m on Saturday, Korean Choi Min-jeong won the 1000m and the 3000m super final on Sunday to claim her 4th overall World Championship title. With this fourth title, the 23-year-old athlete is now alone in third place for the most career titles among women behind China's Yang Yang (A), who was named champion six years in a row from 1997 to 2002, and Canada's Sylvie Daigle who won five titles between 1979 and 1990. Canada's Kim Boutin finished 2nd this weekend ahead of young Dutch star Xandra Velzeboer.

In the women's team relay, the race looked like it was going to end with the Canadians and the Dutch almost tied for the win, until Choi Min-jeong came from the outside to surprise everyone and finish ahead of Kim Boutin to give Korea the win. Canada won silver and the Netherlands bronze. 

Shaoang defends his title in style

On the men's side, Liu Shaoang, who also won the title last year in the Netherlands, took home the top honors this year. The Hungarian won all the individual finals of these 2022 championships. Pascal Dion of Canada and Lee June-seo finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the overall ranking.

Curtain falls on Charles Hamelin's career

The home crowd was eagerly awaiting the men's 5000m relay as it would be the last chance to see Canada's Charles Hamelin on the ice. Hamelin had announced his retirement in 2018, but changed his mind as he felt he had what it took to complete another Olympic cycle. These four extra years ended up allowing him to win a 6th career Olympic medal. From the moment he stepped on the ice in the relay final, the crowd chanted his name. In the event that closed the weekend of competition, Hamelin helped Canada win the bronze medal, finishing behind the Koreans and the Dutch. 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Charles Hamelin the best of luck in his future endeavors and to thank him on behalf of the entire team at Passion/Patin/Vitesse for all these years of emotional and exciting highlights.

For full results click HERE

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A masterful performance by Canada in the 5000m relay

Short track enthusiasts were treated to perhaps the best day of competition at the 2022 Olympics as the final races were held today in Beijing. 

By Carl Savard

Photo by Speed Skating Canada - Patinage de vitesse Canada / Greg Kolz

A thrilling final in the 5000m

All eyes were on the 5000m relay event today as all the elements were in place for a historic final. Despite the absence of the Hungarians, the defending champions of the 2018 Games, the race was almost sure to offer quite a show with five great teams taking place on the starting grid: China, South Korea, Italy, Canada and the athletes representing the Russian Olympic Committee. One thing was for sure, China had a lot of pressure on their shoulders, as they were skating at home. Moreover, the presence of the Koreans in the final added an additional pressure on China knowing the rivalry between these two countries. For Canada, this race was going to mark the end of the Olympic career of Charles Hamelin, the flagship of Canadian speed skating for over 15 years.  Korea could also count on a veteran, Kwak Yoon Gy, who managed to regain his place on the national team after an absence of a few years. After a strategic race led by the Koreans for a good part of the event, the first major incident occurred with eleven laps to go when a loss of balance before an exchange pushed China off the podium. If China made a serious mistake, the Canadian team had a perfect race. With twenty laps to go, the Canadian machine started and no one could stop it. From Pierre-Gilles' pass to move up from third to second, to the following exchange allowing Dubois to take the lead, to the increase of the pace by the veteran Hamelin and the incredible burst of speed by Pascal Dion in his last two presences on the track, all this culminated in a victory for Canada. A masterful performance. Korea won the silver medal while Italy took the bronze. The win made Charles Hamelin the most decorated short track skater in Canadian Olympic history with six medals and Steven Dubois completed his Beijing 2022 collection with a gold medal after winning silver and bronze earlier in the competition. 

The cream rises to the top in the women's 1500m

After some relatively quiet quarter-final races, three skaters clearly showed their true colors in the semi-finals. Choi Min Jeong with an Olympic record on the distance, Suzanne Schulting with confident passes in traffic and Arianna Fontana with a powerful outside pass. It was clear that Fontana, now 31 years old, wanted a chance to add to her legend by competing in the grand final. Lee Yubin, Xandra Velzeboer, Hanne Desmet and Han Yutong had the tough task of trying to beat these three favourites. Han made her move really early by going full speed after only two laps, but changed her mind when she saw Suzanne Schulting wouldn't let her get away. With four laps to go, the action started to heat up as Arianna Fontana moved from 5th to 2nd with an outside pass, putting pressure on Choi Min Jeong and the pace picked up. A pace that only Choi, Fontana and Schulting could sustain. At the finish line, Choi entered in first place winning her 3rd Olympic medal in Beijing and 5th in her career. Arianna Fontana once again sets a new mark for the number of medals won at the Olympics with her 11th career medal, her 3rd in Beijing. Meanwhile in 3rd place, Suzanne Schulting wins her 4th medal of the Games, her 6th visit to a podium in two Olympic participations. 

Now that the Beijing Olympics are behind them, the athletes will travel to Montreal for the World Championships which will be held from March 18 to 20. As for the best junior skaters in the world, the Junior World Championships will be held in Gdansk, Poland from March 4 to 6.

For the complete results click HERE

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Short track in Beijing: The Queen is not leaving the throne

Suzanne Schulting defended her Olympic title on 1000m today in Beijing. 

By Carl Savard

Photo by Martin Holtom

Dutch superstar Suzanne Schulting, who won the gold medal on 1000m at the Pyeongchang Olympic games four years ago, started the day by announcing her colors with a world record in the first race. The time to beat from now on in the distance will be 1:26.514. Following the semifinals, Schulting would have to face South Korea’s Choi Min Jeong, USA’s Kristen Santos, Belgium’s Hanne Desmet and Italy’s Arianna Fontana in the grand final. Although Schulting started as the favorite, it was difficult to predict the podium in such a well balanced final. After showing a lot of power in the previous rounds, Santos tried to overtake Fontana at the end of the race but the Italian closed the door and ended up with a penalty. Fontana's maneuver would take both skaters out of the race and open the door for Hanne Desmet to win Belgium's first ever Olympic medal in short track. Suzanne Schulting seemed in control during the race, but Choi Min Jeong's sustained efforts still led to a close finish. In the end, Schulting won the gold medal finishing ahead of an emotional Choi Min Jeong, while Desmet took the bronze. 

In the other distances of the day, the men started their route to the top in the 500m and most of the big names will be in the next round. Two Canadians are moving forward as Jordan Pierre-Gilles and 1500m silver medallist Steven Dubois both qualified. In the men's 5000m relay, Canada, Italy, South Korea, the Russian Olympic Committee team and China will compete in the grand final next Wednesday. 

For the complete schedule and results click HERE

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Steven Dubois wins silver in Beijing / Redemption day for Hwang Dae Heon

A peaceful day in terms of controversy today in short track that saw Hwang Dae Heon crowned champion and Steven Dubois win the first Olympic medal of his career.

By Carl Savard

Photo by Speed Skating Canada - Greg Kolz

It was an unusual scenario in the grand final of the 1500m today in Beijing as ten skaters qualified or were advanced to the main event. An atypical situation that could have led to a race full of ugly clashes but to everyone's delight, it did not. The weaker skaters who had been advanced because of penalties in the previous round could not keep up with the pace set by the top skaters and the cream of the crop came back to the surface in a clean and exciting final.

After a few laps at the back of the pack, Korea’s Hwang Dae Heon, who had not been able to do himself justice over 1000m at the beginning of the week due to a penalty, used his great power to increase the pace and pass the whole group by the outside. A decision that allowed him to take the lead. Following in Hwang's footsteps, Steven Dubois used the same strategy, relying on his stamina to move into second place. The other eight skaters would have to fight for the bronze medal because both men looked poised and confident as pack leaders. Finally, Hwang Dae Heon became Olympic champion in the 1500m, he had won silver in the 500m in Pyeongchang, while Canada’s Steven Dubois won his first Olympic medal by finishing 2nd. A fully deserved medal that completed the change of the guard of the Canadian team as Charles Hamelin was penalized earlier in the day in the last individual Olympic race of his career. Semen Elistratov representing the Russian Olympic Committee finished in 3rd place.

In addition to the full 1500m competition on the men’s side today, the women raced their 1000m qualifying rounds and 3000m relay semifinals. While most of the favorites in the 1000m made their way to the next round, Canada’s Kim Boutin unfortunately crashed out of the last turn as she was sailing in first place towards the finish line. In the 3000m relay, the four power houses in short track speed skating will face off in the grand final as Canada, the Netherlands, China and South Korea have secured their tickets to the big show.

For the complete schedule and results click HERE

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Beijing 2022: What went wrong on Day 2 of the competition in short track speed skating?

Editorial by Carl Savard

Photo by Martin Holtom

Having a bad day at work while the world is watching is never a good situation. In 30 years of following short track speed skating and over 10 years of being close to the athletes and other actors of the sport, I’ve seen my share of times when many fans and skaters reacted strongly to a day of competition. Today was one of those. When you’re part of a sport that screams for recognition outside of the Olympics, it would be so much better if things could always go smoothly. Sadly, from time to time you will get a chaotic day. The ice condition could be bad and be the cause of many falls, leading to many incidents and therefore many decisions having to be made by the referees. The stakes can be higher than usual and bring additional stress for athletes and the officiating committee. This second day of competition in the short track speed skating event of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games was a chaotic one. Mainly, but not only, because of the 1000m final on the men’s side of the competition.

Questionable decisions happened first in the semifinals. In one of the race, Wu Dajing could have been penalized for a S2 penalty on Itzhak de Laat (S2 penalty is In the straight / Lane change / From inside to outside causing contact). Maybe if de Laat would have sold it like some other skaters do it would have been called a penalty but that’s not how de Laat operates. With three laps to go and the skaters battling for 4th place, it may have been seen as something minor but considering Wu ended up being in the final because of other race incidents, this non-decision still means something. It’s nothing compared to the decision that was made in the other semi-final though. Halfway through the race, after having been blocked by Li Wenlong, Hwang Dae Heon outwitted the Chinese by moving inside while Li was looking outside. A superb manoeuver which propelled Hwang from 3rd place to the lead. Li was surprised by the move and lost speed but he was not physically pushed by Hwang. “Look at that phenomenal move by Hwang Dae Heon. That was textbook!” That’s how it was described by two-time olympic medallist and 2011 world champion on 1500m Katherine Reutter on the NBC broadcast. That’s also how it was seen by fans and an army of skaters around the world. That’s the kind of beauty on ice that can bring new fans to the sport. Now instead we just told them it’s not what the sport is about. The referee called it a S6 Penalty - Illegal Late Pass | causing Contact. A lot of us have looked at it countless times today and just can’t come to the same conclusion. That penalty didn’t happen because of what Hwang did, that penalty happened because Li couldn’t take the heat and got out of the kitchen. Sadly for the sport, that’s not what the man taking the decisions saw. 

And then there was the A final. After two laps at a good pace, the race was recalled but the skaters kept skating for more than a lap before they could hear the whistle. When it was time to relaunch the race, it was pretty clear that things could become hectic. We ended up with a lackluster final, with plenty of arm push from most of the tired skaters, a yellow card given to Liu Shaolin Sandor and skaters on the podium that could have been penalized during the race but were not. 

Following the events, Korea complained about Hwang’s penalty and Hungary also wanted the referee to reevaluate his decision about the final. They were told they didn’t have the right to protest but the referee would still look at it. You can find the ISU answer HERE.

An answer that may not satisfy you. I know it didn’t satisfy me.

Today was not a good day for short track.

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Boutin wins a bronze medal for Canada in a stellar final while Fontana adds to her legend status

After the qualifying heats in the women's 500m and men's 1000m were held on Saturday, it was now time to crown some olympic champions on those distances. 

By Carl Savard

Photo by Speed Skating Canada / Patinage de vitesse Canada / Greg Kolz

From the very beginning, a more than imperfect scenario awaited the Canadian athletes who had qualified for these quarter-final heats in the 500m as the three skaters would have to battle it out to reach the next round. Attempting to go all-in at the end of the race, Florence Brunelle of Canada ended up getting penalized, while her compatriots Kim Boutin and Alyson Charles were good to move on to the next round. This penalty in the first race was the first of a rather chaotic day in both the women's 500m and the men's 1000m. A chaos full of question marks that raised eyebrows and all through the day. 

The women's 500m final was a dream final. A final that allowed us to witness a confrontation between the reigning world champion Suzanne Schulting, the greatest Olympic short track skater of all time, Arianna Fontana and the world record holder on the distance, Kim Boutin. China's Zhang Yuting and Belgium's Hanne Desmet were also on the starting line. We ended up getting the show we were waiting for as the great Arianna Fontana won her 10th Olympic medal in her career with a perfect pass on Suzanne Schulting. Schulting still got her 3rd career Olympic medal by winning silver while the bronze went to Canada's Kim Boutin. A 4th Olympic podium for Boutin who had also won bronze over the distance at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018. 

In the men's 1000m, a recall of the race following a broken blade for safety reasons ended up giving us a soulless race. A final with athletes having burned a lot of fuel in the first start and officials overwhelmed by the number of race incidents that have occurred since the beginning of the day. China's Ren Ziwei finally won gold, finishing ahead of his compatriot Li Wenlong and Hungary's Liu Shaoang.

The action will resume on Wednesday with the 1000m qualifying heats and semi-final heats 3000m relay on the women's side of the competition and the full 1500m competition on the men's side. 

For the complete schedule and results, please visit HERE

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In the days of auld lang syne

Elise Christie officially announced her retirement today.

By Carl Savard

Photo by Martin Holtom

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne

I clearly remember when I first witnessed Elise Christie skating. It was during the Vancouver Olympics. I had been interested in short track speed skating for a very long time and used to follow the performances of Canadian athletes, but like too many sports fans, my interest was mostly focused on the competitions at the Olympics. As I had done at all previous Games since the arrival of short track at the Olympics, I intended to follow the races closely. Elise was 20 years old at the time and it was clear that technically and strategically she was not yet on par with the greats of the sport, but there was no doubt about her potential and physical strength. A diamond in the rough. In her quarter-final heat in the 500m, she skated against Marianne St-Gelais, among others. She seemed faster at times than the Canadian, but did not have the tools to take the lead. These games were the beginning of a great career for Elise Christie and also changed something for my family. The following fall my son started short track and for the past 5 years we have been together at the helm of Passion/Speed/Skating.

Dare to be honest and fear no labor

When I noticed her at the Olympics in 2010, I never thought I would eventually write articles about the sport and have the opportunity to sit with athletes and chat. I remember being nervous about my interview with Elise in 2018. To me it was clear she was working hard, she was strong and was doing the best she could with the tools she had and the ones her federation could offer. I felt like I had seen her grow in the sport and I had become a fan and sometimes, as fans we can be disappointed when we have the opportunity to meet with the athletes we have cheered for. When I was finally able to have a moment with her, someone had just spilled a coffee on her and I remember being afraid she would want to cut short the interview. She didn’t. She was honest, funny, open. We talked for almost an hour about the good and the bad, about sport but also about life. Even though life may have been even tougher after we met, just like on the ice she pushed through, worked hard and came out a winner. I know the ultimate goal was to win at the Olympics, but I’m one of those who thinks world champion is much better than olympic champion. 

O Champion, my Champion.

Lang may yer lum reek!

Enough with my feelings, here’s Elise’s official statement. 

I’ve been putting this off. 

I will have a lot to say and I know a lot of people with have a lot of questions… but for now it’s time to announce my retirement from short track speed skating. 

This won’t be the last you’ll see of me in sport, but I’m taking a new venture down a different path. 

Part of my heart will always be missing because I never achieved my end goal. But I leave this sport knowing it’s left in good hands, with skaters capable of doing what I didn’t.

I changed this sport in this country, I defied odds, never made excuses for having less than my opponents, and I walk away with over 70 World Cup/European and world championship medals, and a fourth place at the Olympics…. Only three of those medals are in team events. I also broke a world record. 

I am not a decorated Olympian but I am a decorated athlete. 

I’m sorry I let you all down, and I’m so thankful to so many people… especially @uk_sport who stuck by me my entire career. 

For now I’ll be focusing on helping the rest of the team and getting into coaching… I won’t reveal for now my sporting plans for 2026, but the Olympic medal dream isn’t over. 

Lots of love everyone

-Elise

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World cup Debrecen: Schulting in gold on the first day of the finals

The Főnix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary is the scene of the 3rd round of the World Cup in short track speed skating this weekend and it was finals day in 1500m and 500m today. 

By Carl Savard

Photos by Martin Holtom

Ren Ziwei and Suzanne Schulting prevail on 1500m

Today was a day of celebration for Liu Shaolin Sandor who was celebrating his 26th birthday. However, his opponents in the 1500m grand final had no intention of doing him any favors, especially China's Ren Ziwei, Canada's Pascal Dion and Korea's Park Jang-hyuk who won gold, silver and bronze respectively. Liu finished in 5th place. Pascal Dion is currently 4th overall in the 1500m and is currently sitting atop the 1000m rankings.

In the women's event, the top five skaters in the World Cup 1500m rankings after two legs were in the grand final today in Debrecen. In a very competitive final, Lee Yubin was able to maintain her top ranking by finishing second in this final, but she is now only a few points ahead of the big winner of today's final, Suzanne Schulting, who was able to withstand Lee and Choi Min-jeong's sustained attacks in the last two laps to take the gold. Canada's Courtney Sarault won the bronze and is now fourth in the standings with one event to go this season. 

Schulting and the Lius are all smiles on 500m

In a final led largely by world record holder Kim Boutin, it was Suzanne Schulting who finally crossed the finish line in first place adding a second gold medal to her collection today. Italy's Ariana Fontana won silver while Boutin finished in third place. The young Canadian Florence Brunelle finished in fourth place. 

In the men's event, the Liu brothers put on quite a show for their fans as the photo finish was needed to determine the gold medal winner. Liu Shaolin Sandor finally gave himself a birthday present by finishing one hundredth of a second ahead of his younger brother Liu Shaoang to grab the gold. The bronze medal was won by Ren Ziwei from China who was on the podium for the second time today.

The finals on 1000m and the different relay events will be held tomorrow.

For full results click HERE

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World cup in Nagoya: Confortola gets first star of the weekend

Yuri Confortola catches the golden snitch in Nagoya while Pascal Dion and Kristen Santos add to their strong start to the season. 

By Carl Savard 

Photo: International Skating Union

A first gold for Confortola 

The Nippon Gaishi Arena in Nagoya, Japan was the venue for the 2nd leg of the 2021-22 World Cup short track season. If Hwang Dae-heon's 500m victory was predictable and Ren Ziwei's 1000m victory was not necessarily a big surprise, Yuri Confortola's 1500m victory definitely puts a smile on the face of short track fans. With this victory, the 35-year-old Italian won his first career individual gold medal on the circuit. Instead of playing cat and mouse for a good part of the race, as it is often the case in a 1500m race, Confortola took the gamble of taking off at full speed from the start. A strategy that paid off for the pillar of the Italian men's national team for so many years. 

In the 5000m relay, Canada won the gold medal finishing ahead of China and Hungary. 

Santos once again

On the women's side, USA's Kristen Santos picked up where she left off last weekend, adding a gold medal in the 1000m to her 2021-22 collection. Italy's Arianna Fontana won the 500m grand final while the Netherlands' Suzanne Schulting did the same in the 1500m. Schulting also helped her team win the 3000m relay. In the mixed relay, Russia won ahead of China and Hungary. 

Dion gets another one for Canada

For Canada, in addition to the men's relay victory, Pascal Dion won another bronze medal in the 1000m this season, giving him the provisional lead in the World Cup standings after two of four events. Dion also competed in the main final on 1500m, finishing in 6th place. Also on the men's side, Steven Dubois was penalized in the 500m main final. On the women's side, Kim Boutin's weekend ended with a 4th place finish in the 500m and a 5th place in the 1000m. Danaé Blais finished 12th in the 1500m. 

The athletes will now head to Hungary to compete from November 18 to 21 for the penultimate round of the World Cup season.

For full results click HERE

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