ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating

 

Three of six events in the 2009/2010 Junior World Cup Speed Skating series will be held this weekend.

 

For the first time the series sees three Junior World Cup Events organized on the same weekend in three different continents, allowing athletes to compete close to home. European skaters compete this weekend in Groningen, the Netherlands. The skaters from Asia gather in Harbin, China and the skaters from America and Oceania race in Calgary, Canada. The remaining events in the series will be held in Collalbo and Baselga di Piné, Italy in January 2010 before the Final in March in Berlin, Germany.

 

The series is supported by ISU's Development Program and gives young speed skaters a platform at top international junior level. Participants are either A or B juniors, which means that they are in the last four years of being eligible to participate at junior level (aged 15-19 years). They skate all in one division, and the program includes 500m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m as well as the Team Pursuit for both men and ladies. For the men the 3000m is at times replaced by the 5000m. The ladies skate 6 laps in the Team Pursuit and the men skate 8 laps. Skaters can earn points at each of the Junior World Cup events and event Prize money will be awarded for the three best skaters or teams in the final overall classification of each distance/event. Competitors qualify for entry if they have achieved the following times after July 2008:

Ladies		Men
500 m	45,00	41,00
1000 m	1.30	1.22,50
1500 m	2.22	2.08
3000 m	5.00	4.32

 

At last year’s inaugural edition top skaters were Hege Bøkko (NOR), Andrea Jirku and Karolina Erbanová (both CZE), Olga Fatkulina (RUS), Roxanne van Hemert, Yvonne Nauta (both NED), Jan Daldossi (ITA), Roman Krech and Alexej Bondarchuk (both KAZ), Batrick Beckert (GER), Koen Verweij and Pim Cazemier (NED) as well as Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR). Several of these skaters are continuing to show great promise and are competing this year at senior level in the Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating series.

 

ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating Competitions 2009/2010

 

November 21-22, 2009	Groningen (NED)	Ladies: 2x500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m Men: 2x500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m
November 21-22, 2009	Harbin (CHN)	Ladies: 2x500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m Men: 2x500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m
November 19-22, 2009	Calgary (CAN)	Ladies: 2x500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m Men: 2x500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m
January 23-24, 2010	Collalbo (ITA)	Ladies: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m
January 30-31, 2010	Baselga di Piné (ITA)	Ladies: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, Team Pursuit Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, Team Pursuit
March 6-7, 2010 ISU Junior World Cup Final	Berlin (GER)	Ladies: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, Team Pursuit Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, Team Pursuit

 

For further details www.isu.org .