Amazing results were produced in the speed skating and short track speed skating events at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, with two world records and 16 Olympic records being reset during the Games.
Short track speed skating
At the Capital Indoor Stadium, one world record and seven Olympic records were broken over six days of competition. Dutch skater Suzanne Schulting was the top record breaker after setting one world record and two Olympic records. The 24-year-old skater also contributed in the mixed team relay and women’s 3,000m relay events.
Skaters compete in the short track speed skating mixed team relay final at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, February 5, 2022. /CFP
Team China won the mixed team relay gold in 2:37.348 on February 5, while Team Netherlands set the Olympic record in 2:36.437 in the quarterfinal on the same day.
Suzanne Schulting of Team Netherlands reacts after setting the Olympic record in the women’s 500m speed skating heat, February 5, 2022. /CFP
Arianna Fontana of Italy won the women’s 500m gold in 42.488 on February 7, while Schulting set an Olympic record in Heat 4 on February 5.
(R-L) Ren Ziwei of China, Itzhak de Laat of the Netherlands, John-Henry Kreuger of Hungary, and Brandan Corey of Australia compete in the men’s 1,000m short track speed skating final, February 7, 2022. /CFP
China’s Ren Ziwei claimed the men’s 1,000m gold in 1:26.768 followed by compatriot Li Wenlong in 1:29.917 on February 7.
Skater Hwang Dae-heon, from Republic of Korea, set the world record in 1:20.875 during the International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Salt Lake City, U.S., on November 12, 2016. The 22-year-old skater set the Olympic record in the men’s 1,000m in 1:23.042 on February 5.
Hwang took the gold medal in the men’s 1,500m in 2:09.219 on February 9, while Liu Shaolin (Sandor) of Hungary set the Olympic record in 2:09.213 in the quarterfinal on the same day.
Dutch skater Suzanne Schulting celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women’s 1,000m short track speed skating final, February 11, 2022. /CFP
Schulting won the women’s 1,000m gold in 1:28.391 on February 11. She broke both the world record and the Olympic record in a time of 1:26.514 in the quarterfinal on the same day.
Team Netherlands claimed the gold medal and set the Olympic record in the women’s 3,000m relay final in 4:03.409 on February 13.
ROK’s skater Choi Min-jeong won the gold medal in the women’s 1,500m final in 2:17.789 on February 16. She set the world record in 2:14.354 during the Salt Lake City Short Track World Cup in 2016 and renewed the Olympic record in 2:16.831 at Beijing 2022 in the semifinal on February 16.
Speed skaters compete at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, February 5, 2022. /CFP
Speed skating
One world record and 10 Olympic records were reset during 12 competition days at the National Speed Skating Oval. Dutch skater Irene Schouten broke two Olympic records and Sweden’s Nils van der Poel shattered one world record in addition to two Olympic records.
Schouten won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000m final on February 5, setting the Olympic record in 3:56.93.
She set the Olympic record in the women’s 5,000m final in 6:43.51 on February 10.
Nils van der Poel of Sweden celebrates after winning the men’s 5,000 speed skating final, February 6, 2022. /CFP
Van der Poel renewed the Olympic record in the men’s 5,000m final in 6:08.84 at Beijing 2022 on February 6.
He once posted a time of 6:01.56 during the ISU World Cup Long Track in Salt Lake City on December 3, setting a new world record.
The 25-year-old broke the world record and the Olympic record in the men’s 10,000m final in 12:30.74 on February 11.
Ireen Wust of the Netherlands broke the Olympic record for the women’s 1,500m in 1:53.28 during the final on February 7, claiming a gold medal in the process.
Fellow Dutch skater Kjeld Nuis won the gold medal and broke the Olympic record in the men’s 1,500m final in 1:43.21 on February 8.
China’s Gao Tingyu celebrates with the Chinese national flag after winning the men’s 500m speed skating final, February 12, 2022. /CFP
China’s Gao Tingyu set the Olympic record in the men’s 500m final in 34.32 on February 12.
Canadian skaters pose with a board showing their new Olympic record time of 2:53.44 after winning the women’s speed skating team pursuit final, February 15, 2022. /CFP
Team Canada clinched the gold medal in the women’s team pursuit final and broke the Olympic record in 2:53.44 on February 15.
Team Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) lost to Team Norway in the men’s team pursuit final on February 15.
However, Team ROC broke the Olympic record in 3:36.62 in the semifinal of the event on the same day.
Miho Takagi (L) of Japan greets Angelina Golikova of Team ROC after their women’s 1,000m speed skating event, February 17, 2022. /CFP
In the women’s 1,000m final, Miho Takagi of Japan broke the Olympic record in 1:13.19 and won the gold medal on February 17. No record was reset in the men’s 1,000m final.
