Italian Short Track Speed Skating legend Arianna Fontana is targeting her fifth Olympic Winter Games at Beijing 2022.
Katrin Manoilova is one of just two Bulgarian Short Track Speed Skaters to have won any sort of Olympic medal but, when asked to explain the status of the sport in her homeland, she is adamant only one of them really registers.
With the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games getting closer, Dutch Short Track Speed Skater Sjinkie Knegt still seeks daily improvement after coming back from two horrific injuries. “I am happy I came this far, but I still hope to improve and get better in the future,” Knegt said.
They often get super nervous when they watch each other’s races, sometimes even a bit frustrated if things don’t go as planned. But most importantly, siblings Hanne and Stijn Desmet (BEL) enjoy living the Short Track Speed Skating life together. “It’s nice to always have someone around you can talk to and be close with,” they said.
“I felt like a little kid,” Ryan Pivirotto (USA) said after one of his training sessions at the Dordrecht 2021 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships. “It’s exciting to race again, to see everyone,” he added. But for Pivirotto that was not the only thing. Coming back to the world stage had been an uphill battle the US Short Track Speed Skater, who struggled with depression after not having been selected to compete at the 2018 Olympics.
“It’s the lactate in the legs that I feel,” Akash Aradhya (IND) said when he stepped off the ice just after his training session at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dordrecht (NED). “It’s the hardest ever, but it’s also why I love the sport so much,” he added with a smile.
Two days after the funeral of her best friend Paulien van Deutekom in January 2019, Speed Skating superstar Ireen Wüst was #UpAgain and competing at the ISU European Speed Skating Championships in Collalbo, Italy. A month later, Wüst managed to overcome her grief at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships to win the 1500m gold medal, and tearfully dedicated her title to her late friend.
When Short Track Speed Skater Sofia Prosvirnova (RUS) was asked who helped her most during the past year, the answer followed quickly. It’s her boyfriend and Speed Skater Viktor Thorup (DEN). “He helped me a lot and motivated me through these challenging times,” Prosvirnova said.
During its last Council meeting on April 8, 2021 the ISU decided to adopt the IOC Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration, a historic athlete-driven initiative. Developed by athletes and for athletes through a worldwide consultation process; led by a 19-strong athlete representative Steering Committee.
“I’ve moved myself out of my comfort zone,” says Liam O’Brien (IRL). The 21-year-old left his home country Australia and moved to South Korea three years ago to pursue his Olympic dream. “It’s been a whole change and a different life now, but I love it.”
Today, April 6, 2021, the International Skating Union (ISU) proudly celebrates the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace for the fourth consecutive year. Sport, peace and unity is more important than ever in these times of crisis.
The International Skating Union (ISU) has prolonged its media rights agreement with Infront for another four seasons. The extension with Infront runs until end the of 2026/27 season and includes coverage in China from the 2020/21 season.
A knee injury kept Short Track Speed Skater Julie Letai (USA) side-lined until mid-October 2020, but Letai bounced back to compete in the Ladies’ Relay at the 2021 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
In 2020, Julian Macaraeg became the first Filipino Short Track Speed Skater to compete at a Winter Youth Olympic Games. In Lausanne, he made his first steps towards his ultimate goal: competing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Steven Dubois knows that as an elite sportsman he has had it better than most during the COVID-19 pandemic but that has not stopped the past 12 months posing huge challenges.