ISU

Charles Hamelin has tried jumping out of a plane and throwing himself down an ice canal but nothing can replace the thrill of Short Track Speed Skating for the Canadian legend.

When Julian Macaraeg of the Philippines and Ethan de Rose of New Zealand went to collect the helmet numbers for their teams at the first ISU World Cup Short Track event of the Olympic season, the envelope contained only one number. They represent a small group of lone skaters who relish the opportunity to compete at the highest level.

The athletes chosen to represent the People’s Republic of China at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will not have far to turn to for some of the very best advice available. Yang Yang (also known as Yang Yang A) is at the very heart of her home Games and not only has the legendary Short Track Speed Skater seen it all, she’s done most of it too.

For Hwang Dae Heon, perhaps the hardest part of his whole year is already done: amid fierce competition, he has made it into the Republic of Korea’s squad for the crucial 2021-2022 Short Track Speed Skating season.

After decades of almost nobody talking about it, mental health in sport has become a hugely important topic over the past couple of years.

Building a balanced, happy individual is just as important as developing a skater competing on any stage. That is the view of Team Canada’s Short Track Speed Skating mental preparation specialist Fabien Abejean, and it is non-negotiable.

In the weeks following her third sobering injury in the space of five years German Short Track Speed Skaer Anna Seidel found herself questioning her future in the sport she has been devoted to since the age of nine.

Pietro Sighel has put his recent success down to strength in numbers after Italy’s team spirit helped him cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kazakhstan participated at its first winter Olympics in Lillehammer 1994 – and it was a glorious event for the nation that had only just become independent from the Soviet Union: cross country skiing ace Vladimir Smirnov won a gold medal, two silvers and a bronze.

The USA may be one of the world’s biggest sporting superpowers, but when it comes to Short Track Speed Skating, they are still outsiders. USA athletes have won just two Short Track Speed Skating silver medals at the past two Olympic Winter Games. However, a new generation is hoping to change all that. And it is their excellent female skaters in particular, including Kristen Santos, Maame Biney and Corinne Stoddard, who are leading the charge.

Sweden may be a winter sports powerhouse when it comes to Alpine skiing, ice hockey, cross-country, biathlon and curling – but its Short Track Speed Skating team is so little that it’s barely there. “We are a very small group,” admits Erika Lindgren, 21, one of Scandinavia’s most promising racers. “We never have much opportunity to skate at home because it isn’t a big sport here, we have to fight for ice time. I’ve trained in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland and Latvia in the past. We have some other good skaters, like Fabrice Dufberg and Jacob Janssen, but I’m not sure what their training plans are at the moment.”

Former Short Track Speed Skater Eddy Alvarez joined a highly selective group on August 7, 2021 at Tokyo 2020. He was a crucial member of the USA team that won the silver medal in men’s baseball, losing to Japan in the final.

When you aren’t feeling your best, you discover who your true friends are. For skater Erika Lindgren, the Short Track world showed her incredible warmth and support during her struggles with mental health issues.

Switzerland is a winter sports superpower, its all-conquering Alpine skiers in particular having a rich history in Olympic Winter Games. The nation has had success in Figure Skating and Speed Skating, but is yet to win a medal in Short Track. How can this be in a land packed with ice rinks? Thibault Metraux explains.

Having swapped the ice for the diamond, the late-blooming baseballer is on the brink of an unusual double. Eddy Alvarez is about to achieve something special. At Tokyo 2020, not only was he the Team USA flag bearer he will also join the rare group of athletes who have competed at summer and winter Olympic Games.