Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) competes in the Men's 1000m during the 2022 ISU World Cup Speed Skating in Heerenveen, Netherlands.@ ISU
Quebec will host the third ISU Four Continents Championships in the history of Speed Skating on December 2-4, 2022. It’s the first ISU event at the brand new Centre de Glaces, since the Gaétan Boucher Oval was covered up with a roof last year. It provides 500m World Cup leader Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) with a first opportunity to win a major title on home ice, while Mass Start World Champion Joey Mantia (USA) will make his first international appearance this season.
Joey Mantia (USA) skates during a speed skating practice session ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. @ ISU
Unusual suspects
Launched in 2020, the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships features top competitors from North America, South America, Asia and Oceania. While the European Championships in Hamar (NOR) on January 6-8, 2023 will be held in Sprint and Allround formats, the Championships for the other four continents are contested in single distances, just like the two previous tournaments in Milwaukee (USA) in 2020 and in Calgary (CAN) in 2021.
Skaters compete for titles in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and Mass Start, as well as in the Team Pursuit and Team Sprint events.
USA tops medal ranking
The Four Continents Championships provides Skaters, who don’t climb up to the podium too often, with a shot at international glory. Nations like Kazakhstan with Speed Skating couple Dmitry Morozov and Nadezhda Morozova, and Chinese Taipei with Huang Yu-Ting and Tai Wei-Lin, were able to conquer silverware in the previous two Championships.
Dmitry Morozov (KAZ) competes in the Men's Allround 500m during the 2022 World Speed Skating Championships in Hamar, Norway.@ ISU
With 18 gold medals (3 silver, 6 bronze), the United States lead the Four Continents Championships medal table. Canada (11G, 14S, 5B) are second and South Korea (9G, 15S, 12B) third.
At total of eleven nations won medals at the previous two tournaments. This year, there are 78 Skaters from seven different nations on the entry list. Canada and South Korea have the biggest teams, both entering the tournament with sixteen Skaters. New Zealand has the smallest representation, with only Josh Whyte (NZL) on the entry list.
Um Cheonho (KOR) still undefeated in Mass Start
Mia Kilburg-Manganello (USA) tops the individual leaderboard with three gold medals. Brianna Bocox (USA) also won three Four Continents titles, but Kilburg-Manganello added a bronze too. Both Kilburg-Manganello and Bocox are not on the entry list for this year’s event.
Mia Kilburg-Manganello (USA) competes during the 2020 ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. @ ISU
Um Cheonho (KOR) will defend his Mass Start title. The 30-year-old Korean won the Men’s Mass Start at the two previous tournaments and comes third on the Four Continents medal table. Another gold medal would get Um to the top of the leaderboard, because he already has a Team Pursuit silver and a Team Pursuit bronze behind his name too.
Cheonho Um (KOR) races in the Men's 5000m during the 2021 ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.@ ISU
Dubreuil and Mantia
Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) and Joey Mantia (USA) are the biggest names on the entry list for this year’s competition in Quebec. Dubreuil was born and raised in Levis, near Quebec City. The 2022 Olympic 1000m silver medalist and 2021 World 500m Champion already won a 500m silver medal at the inaugural Four Continents Championships in 2020 in Milwaukee (USA).
Laurent DuBreuil (CAN) competes in the Mens 500m during the 2020 ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin..@ ISU
For threefold Mass Start World Champion Joey Mantia, the Quebec event will be his first appearance at the Four Continents Championships. The 36-year-old American skipped the first two World Cup events this season to rest his lower back, after having been affected by back problems at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
Schedule
Friday December 2nd, 2022: 500m (Men and Women), 3000m (Women), 5000m (Men), Team Sprint (Men and Women)
Saturday December 3rd, 2022: 1500m (Men and Women), Mass Start (Men and Women)
Sunday December 4th, 2022: 1000m (Men and Women), Team Pursuit (Men and Women)
Where to Watch
Viewers will be able to watch the races via their national broadcasters’ channel. For countries where there are no broadcasters, the ISU will offer a live stream on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. You will find the full list on the Where to Watch webpage.
Subscribe to the ISU Newsletter to receive the latest information about events, and to the Skating ISU YouTube Channel to receive notifications when live streams start or new videos are published.
For further information on ISU Speed Skating visit https://www.isu.org/speed-skating
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