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#SpeedSkating

The stakes are high when the international Speed Skating elite enters the Calgary Olympic Oval for the fourth leg of the 2021/22 ISU World Cup Speed Skating series. The definite Olympic Qualification Classification for allocation of quota places for the  Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games is made up after this weekend. The Dutch are anxiously watching Bart Hoolwerf to secure a second slot in the men’s Mass Start, and Youth Olympic Games silver medalist Nil Llop (ESP) still hopes to make history to become the first to qualify Spanish Speed Skater to qualify for the Olympics.

The Olympic Qualification Classification is a ranking for the allocation of quota places per nations, not for individuals. By the end of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating event in Calgary, we will know how many places each National Olympic Committee (NOC) has secured. Some NOCs have more Skaters who could qualify than the quota, because the maximum amount of Skaters who can qualify per NOC and per distance is three. 

Men’s 500m - Long shot for Llop

Japan, for example, have four Skaters in the top seven of the 500m ranking and even five in the top 17, but each nation is allowed a maximum of three spots out of the of thirty available in that distance for Beijing 2022.

Tatsuya Shinhama, Yamato Matsui and Wataru Morishige (JPN) are the highest ranked Japanese sprinters, all having won at least one World Cup race this season. But Yuma Murakami, Takuya Morimoto (JPN) are also well within the top-20. The Japanese trials on December 29-31  will determine who eventually gets to go to Beijing.

Shinhama, who is currently second in the World Cup standings, wants to make amends for last week’s disappointment in Salt Lake City. After being hindered, when Viktor Mushtakov (RUS) crashed in an incredibly fast race on Sunday, the Japanese ace got a re-skate, but then crashed himself.

World Cup leader Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) took two bronze medals and a personal best home from Salt Lake City, but has not broken the 34-second barrier yet, whereas others did in Salt Lake City.

“I'm excited to get more chances to skate a 33 too,” Dubreuil said about traveling to the high altitude Calgary Oval.

While Shinhama and Dubreuil may dream of world record times, Nil Llop is aiming to shave at least 0.33s off the personal best he set last week in Salt Lake City. The Spanish junior comes in as the seventh reserve in the 500m ranking, after three of the four World Cup events that weigh into the Olympic Qualification Classification.

Llop’s best time is 34.97 seconds in Sunday’s B Division race in Salt Lake City. David Bosa (ITA)  is currently ranked 30^th with 34.64 seconds. In order to qualify directly for the Olympic Games, Llop will at least have to climb up to this 30^th spot.

Jorrit Bergsma (NED) competes at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating 2021 in Salt Lake City (USA) © International Skating Union (ISU)

The absent Dutch in Calgary

The Dutch 1000m Skaters have other things to worry about. Like Japan in the 500m, the Orange powerhouse has five Skaters well within the Olympic Qualification top-twenty.

Only three can go to Beijing, and the Dutch trials on December 26-30 will be all-decisive for Thomas Krol, Kjeld Nuis, Hein Otterspeer. Kai Verbij, and Merijn Scheperkamp (NED). All five will  skip the final World Cup Olympic qualifying event in Calgary to prepare for the trials at home, leaving an open field for the rest of the field after three consecutive Dutch podium sweeps in this event so far.

Long distance specialist Jorrit Bergsma (NED) also flew back to the Netherlands to prepare for the trials, but he’ll be anxiously watching Bart Hoolwerf (NED) and his replacement Kars Jansman in the Mass Start this weekend.

Currently ranked 24^th Hoolwerf is the second Dutch skater on the Mass Start quota list where there are 24 spots, so reigning Mass Start World Champion Bergsma is far from sure to have a team-mate in support in Beijing yet.

“When you’re with (a team of) two in the Mass Start, you’ve got so much more possibilities tactically”, Bergsma said after having come in sixth in the Salt Lake City Mass Start final, when Hoolwerf was already eliminated in the semi-finals.

Van der Poel looking achieve the coolest time

Nils van der Poel (SWE) doesn’t need any team mates. The Swedish endurance machine won the two 5000m and the 10,000m races this World Cup season and skated a 5000m world record in six minutes and 1.56 seconds along the way in Salt Lake City.

Van der Poel may have another surprise in mind in Calgary, if all conditions are optimal. ““It would be cool to be the first guy to cross the six minutes. That’s the coolest limit right now, the 1:40 in the 1500m, and the six minutes in the 5000m,” he said after his race in Utah.

China women are hanging in

In the Women’s competition there are a couple of tense competitions for Olympic slots too. China’s Team Pursuit are currently ranked seventh with eight places available at their home Olympic Winter Games, with Germany and the USA on standby to step up as the first two reserves.

Canada leads the way after winning the first two Team Pursuit races, which put them in pole position to secure the Team Pursuit World Cup, as Calgary is the final race in this event this season.

With the Dutch not fielding their strongest line-up, Japan is likely to be Canada’s main rival. In Salt Lake City, the reigning Olympic champions were on track to beat Canada before Nana Takagi (JPN) crashed in the final lap.

Ayano Sato and Miho Takagi (JPN) and Antoinette de Jong (NED) © International Skating Union (ISU)

Japanese depth

Nana’s sister Miho Takagi (JPN) is the one to look out for in the Women’s 1000m and 1500m, after missing out world records in both distances by a very small margin last week in Salt Lake city.

Takagi was happy to be joined on the 1500m podium by team mate Ayano Sato (JPN), showing the depth of Japanese skating.

Sato has been a long-time member of Japan’s successful Team Pursuit squad, but only won her career first World Cup medals in classical distances this season.

“I’ve been skating the 1500m and the 3000m for a long time,” she said. “But somehow I finally figured out the rhythm of the race. And that's the difference with how I performed in the past and today.

 

Lollobrigida in same boat as Bergsma

Italy’s Mass Start ace Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) is in a similar position as Jorrit Bergsma in the men’s competition. The 2018 European Mass Start Champion is ranked fourth, but she’s not sure if she’ll get a team-mate in Beijing to back her up tactically. Noemi Bonazza (ITA) will have to climb two places from second reserve to 24^th on the Olympic Qualification Classification Ranking.