The 2022 ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships take place at the Hala Olivia, Gdansk, Poland, from March 4-6. The competition will award medals over 500m, 1000m and 1500m for both genders, with a 3000m Relay for Women and a 5000m Relay for Men.
No overall titles are awarded. The event has taken place annually since 1994, with most of the current major names in Short Track having competed at some point. 30 different nations will attend this season’s event, including the Ukraine, although China are not sending a squad.
At the 2020 edition of the ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Bormio (ITA), Sun Long of China and Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands were among the stars, while at Montreal 2019, Maame Biney of USA and Seo Whi-min of Republic of Korea won gold medals.
Long Sun (CHN) competes during the 2020 ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Bormio, Italy.© ISU
In 2017, Shaoang Liu of Hungary – the current Men’s overall World Champion and Beijing 2022 gold medal winner – got a clean sweep of the 500m, 1000m and 1500m.
Shaoang Liu (HUN) and Konstantin Ivliev (ROC) skate during the 2022 Men's 500m Final A on day nine of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China.© Getty Images
As ever, it is difficult to identify potential winners among a largely unknown field – although some familiar names and faces do stand out.
Florence Brunelle (CAN), 18, has just returned from starring at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where she was part of the Canadian Women’s Relay team that agonisingly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the A final of the 3000m Relay. Tipped as her country’s next Kim Boutin-style star, Brunelle looks like the fastest woman in the field. Republic of Korea have been historically dominant in Junior Short Track, however, and Brunelle will receive fierce competition from Kim Gilli (KOR), Choi Yubin (KOR) and Jang Yeonjae (KOR).
Florence Brunelle (CAN) competes during the 2022 Women's 3000m Relay Semifinals on day five of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China.© Getty Images
Michelle Velzeboer (NED), a silver medallist in the 500m at the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lausanne, is the latest in a long line of Short Trackers from her family: sister Xandra won gold in the Relay at Beijing 2022, and her father, uncles and aunts all competed internationally.
Gold medalist Whi Min Seo (KOR) (C) poses with silver medalist Michelle Velzeboer (NED) (L) and Florence Brunelle (CAN) (R) during the mascot ceremoy after winning the Women's 500m Final in short track speed skating at the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland.© Getty Images
Magdalena Zych (POL), Eunice Lee (USA), Barbara Somogyi (HUN), Anne Sophie Bachand (CAN) and Wren Acorn (CAN) have all looked promising recently, too.
In the Men’s events, Lee Donghyun (KOR) should be one to watch in the 500m, while Lee Dogyu (KOR) and Kim Minseo (KOR) are fast over 1500m. Jenning De Boo (NED) is highly capable across all three distances.
Alev Sklutovsky (USA) and Kwon Seung Min (USA) will spearhead a strong American challenge, while Lucas Wareham (AUS) is the latest Australian sensation, and Alexandre Migner (CAN) is highly rated in Canada.
Michal Niewinski (POL) during the 2021 ISU World Short Track Championships in Dordrecht Netherlands.© Getty Images
Michal Niewinski (POL) should give the home crowd something to cheer about, while the latest athlete off Hungary’s Short Track production line is Peter Jaszapati (HUN), younger brother of two-time Olympian Petra.