Saluting national records - Bulletin #1, 2018-19

By Caroline Truchon

Photos by Danny Kim

Four years ago, just before the Calgary World Cup, me and Dany Lemay, the best short track announcer, were excited to see how many world records would fall during the competition. I pushed my thinking further wondering how many skaters would beat their personal best or the national records of their respective countries. So, I decided to trace all the national records of the countries present on the circuit four years ago, with the help of other foreign skaters in my contacts and internet researches.

The idea was quickly appreciated by the skaters taking part in the competitions, but also by the spectators and the organizers. Not only were world records highlighted, but also the incredible performances of smaller countries that are not necessarily at the forefront. These skaters who improve these records are still the fastest in their respective countries, which is still a great achievement! Now, when Dany is announcing during competition, I make sure to send him the new records after every day, even in the middle of the night when he’s in Asia. Thanks Internet!

Today, my database has tripled since I started making this compilation. This work requires a lot of effort, because I need to check all the results of the competitions around the world. With this colossal task, I estimate my file to be 95% correct. There are still some records that I could miss, of course! Last year, there were 122 new national records, including three world records.

This season, we have already achieved 53 national records, including one world record. Only for the first weekend of the World Cup season in Calgary, there were 49 national records. Luxembourg was the most successful, with 9. Kazakhstan follows with 6. It’s with these records that we can see the evolution of the sport, but also that the smaller countries are making their way from the shadow to the forefront. We can expect much more national records with the World Cup in Salt Lake City this weekend. But there are also other fast ices in the world, like Montreal (World Juniors) and Dresden (World Cup #5).

I will give you a report of the national records beaten after each World Cup, in addition to those broken during other competitions. Only on the first day of the first World Cup of the season in Calgary, 20 national records were broken. For the 2018-2019 season, you can find the national records I’ve compiled so far HERE.

If you ever see errors in some national records, do not hesitate to contact me at caro.truchon@gmail.com

Hoping that you will appreciate these statistics as much as I do!

Caroline