SPEED SKATING
Kylie Oseguera & Victoria Dellova
HISTORY OF SPEED SKATING
The first speed skating events were held in Great Britain in 1763.
Men’s speed skating was first included in the Olympic Winter Games in 1924.
It was at the Winter Olympics in 1960 that women first competed in speed skating
Up until the 19th century, speed skating was one of the most popular winter sports in Russia
Russia’s first speed skating championship took place in Moscow on February 19, 1889, at a skating rink owned by the Moscow River Yacht Club.
Team pursuit became part of the Olympic program only in 2006.
Citation : Speed Skating
The first official speed skating events were not held until 1863 in Oslo, Norway
In 1889, the Netherlands hosted the first World Championships, bringing together Dutch, Russian, American and English teams.
RULES OF SPEED SKATING
In speed skating, athletes travel a defined distance as fast as possible. The traditional length of the track is 400 meters
Speed skating at the Olympic Games consists of ten individual distance events and two team pursuit races. Men compete in 500, 1000, 1500, 5000, and 10,000 meter events, and complete 8 laps in the team pursuit race. Women compete in 500, 1000, 1500, 3000, and 5000 meter events and in a 6-lap team pursuit race. That means that 12 sets of medals are awarded in speed skating
In the individual events, skaters race in pairs on separate tracks (the inner and outer lanes). Athletes switch lanes at every lap in order to skate an equal distance. The 500 meter race is skated twice, with both races taking place on the same day. The final result is based on the total time taken over the two races.
In the team pursuit races, men skate 8 laps, and women skate 6. Two teams of three members each take part in each race. The teams start all at once from different sides of the track. Each skater in a team «leads» the group for a time, skating in front to take on all the air resistance. Meanwhile, his partners fall in behind him. The race comes to an end only when the last skater on a team crosses the finish line.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED/USED FOR SPEED SKATING
Speed skaters use special «clap skates» with a blade that isn’t attached to the boot. These boots are usually made of kangaroo leather.
Skaters wear skin-tight racing suits with hoods to reduce air resistance.
Citation : Speed Skating
Armband colors - Skaters in the outer lane wear a red armband and skaters on the inner lane wear a white armband
Blade - The part of the blade that comes in contact with the ice forms a straight line. Men's speed skating blades are generally 42-46 cm long. The longer the blade, the faster the skate up to a point where length would become an obstacle. The underside of the blade is only about 1mm thick.
Glasses - glasses protect skaters' eyes from the wind and ice chips. The lens reduces glare and improves visibility of the track
Clap Skate - Unlike conventional skates, the heel of the clap-skate blade is not attached to the boot, and the toe of the blade is affixed to the boot with a hinged apparatus. At the end of each stride, as the skater picks up the skate, the blade briefly disconnects from the heel of the boot, thereby keeping the blade on the ice longer and increasing the skater's pushing power. When the blade has fully extended, a spring mechanism mounted on the front of the boot snaps the blade back up to the boot, resulting in the clapping sound that gives the skate its name
Racing Suit - Skaters wear skin-tight racing suits with hoods to decrease air resistance. Racing suits must conform to the natural shape of the skater's body. Insertion or attachment of forms or devices to create a different shape is not permitted.
RECENT MEDAL WINS (COUNTRY & PERSON)
Jorrit Bergsma from the Netherlandswon a gold and a bronz metal
Jan Blokhuijsen from the Netherlands won a gold and a silver metal
Zbigniew Brodka from Poland won a gold and a bronz metal
Stefan Groothuis from the Netherlands won a gold metal
- Sang Hwa Lee from Korea won a gold medal
ACTION PICTURES
Citation: Speed Skating