Overview of the first day in Shanghai

By Carl Savard

Photo: Schaats Foto's

After having tested the field last month in Budapest and Dordrecht, the best short track speed skaters are back in action this weekend in Shanghai for the third leg of the World cup circuit. Now halfway through the olympic selection process, tension is building up. Action started today with the qualifying rounds used to select the skaters for this weekend’s main event on 1500m and 500m.

As always, it was a formality for most of the skaters accustomed to top ten results but there was still a few surprises and mishaps. Here is a quick review of this first day.

1500m

No major surprises in the first round of the men’s 1500m competition other than the need to salute the performance of colombian skater German Andres Tirado Oviedo who managed to qualify for the second round. Surprises came later during the day as big names like J.R. Celski from the USA, Samuel Girard and his teammate Charles Hamelin from Canada did not manage to qualify for the final rounds.

On the ladies’ side, american leaders Jessica Kooreman and Katherine Reutter failed to qualify. Lara van Ruijven from the Netherlands and Anna Seidel from Germany also missed their qualification for the top group. Tifany Huot-Marchand from France was penalized and Bernadett Heidum was advanced to this weekend’s races following Huot-Marchand’s action.

500m

Some big names also will not be competing this weekend on 500m. Viktor Knoch from Hungary saw his journey on the distance stopped after only one race. The second round was even harder on top dogs as Netherland’s Daan Breeuwsma and Sjinkie Knegt, Latvia’s Roberto Pukitis and Canada’s Charle Cournoyer won’t be part of the big show on 500m Saturday. Knegt was penalised while the others battled with tough competition or fell during a race.

On the women's part of the competition, penalties to Jessica Kooreman and Anna Seidel in the first round prevented them from going forward on the distance while Britain's Charlotte Gilmartin was in a tough wave alongside Sofia Prosvirnova, Jamie Macdonald and Kim A Lang and could not finish in the top two. French skater Véronique Pierron and Hungarian star Petra Jaszapati will not be competing on 500m Saturday, as they were both unable to qualify for it.

The skaters will be back in action tomorrow to battle for weekend’s spots on 1000m and team relay.