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Skaters celebrate during the ISU World Short Track Skating Championships 2022 in Montreal (CAN) @ISU (International Skating Union)

An epic spell that featured records being smashed, legendary status secured and some of the most competitive racing of all time, particularly at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, will ensure 2021/22 goes down as an all-time Short Track classic season.

The Olympics were the obvious centerpiece, an event that the entire field had been building up to for four gruelling and disrupted years.

Skaters compete during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (CHN) @GettyImages

Beijing put on a fantastic show, and China’s Short Track athletes played a leading role in the Games’ success. Superstar locals Ren Ziwei and Wu Dajing were part of the Mixed Relay team that secured China’s first gold of the event, and Ren followed up by storming to 1000m gold.

Shaoang Liu made history for Hungary by bagging the 500m title: it was his country’s first ever individual gold at an Olympic Winter Games. The Republic of Korea’s Hwang Dae Heon, meanwhile, fulfilled his immense promise with 1500m gold.

The Women’s event featured three titans going head-to-head, with Suzanne Schulting (NED) winning the 1000m (and four medals overall), Choi Min Jeong (KOR) triumphing in the 1500m (three medals overall) and Arianna Fontana (ITA) taking the 500m title and three medals in total.

Schulting also contributed to one of the most emotional moments of the season, joining Xandra Velzeboer, Yara van Kerkhof and Selma Poutsma to battle to gold for the Netherlands in the 3000m Relay. 

Team Netherlands on the podium of the 3000m Women Relay during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (CHN) @GettyImages

Having suffered the death of their teammate Lara van Ruijven (NED) two years before, the Dutch Relay Team blew her a kiss on the podium.

Choi gets fourth title and Liu confirms No.1 status

Choi Min Jeong (KOR) competes during the ISU World Short Track Skating Championships 2022 in Montreal (CAN) @ISU (International Skating Union)

The 2022 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, held in Montreal (CAN), followed the Games, and were just as compelling.

Schulting, looking for a third overall Championship, tested positive for Covid-19 just before the event and couldn’t compete, leaving an easier path for Choi to dominate and seal her fourth overall title. 

A polished all-round performance – she won the 1000m, 1500m, 3000m Superfinal and Relay – confirmed her status as a Short Track legend at just 23.

Canada’s impressive Kim Boutin finished second in every race to grab overall silver, while Velzeboer showed that she is one to watch for the future with her rapid performance to take the 500m title.

In the Men’s event, Shaoang Liu was in total control, winning all three individual distances to breeze to the overall title. Skating without his brother Shaolin Sandor Liu, who had also enjoyed a high-quality season, it was Shaoang’s second World Championships win in a row, cementing his status as World No.1.

Shaoang Liu (HUN) competes during the ISU World Short Track Skating Championships 2022 in Montreal (CAN) @ISU (International Skating Union)

Pascal Dion (CAN), consistent in the 1000m all year, took overall silver and will be another skater seeking to step up further over the next few years.

Legends leave the stage as new names emerge

Charles Hamelin (CAN) skates with his daughter during the ISU World Short Track Skating Championships 2022 in Montreal (CAN) @ISU (International Skating Union)

Giant of the game, Charles Hamelin bowed out at the end of the season. Hamelin won six Olympic medals, four of them gold, and a truckload of World Championships medals, including the 2018 overall title.The Canadian received an emotional send-off on home ice two months later at the World Championships in Montreal (CAN).

Short Track is not short of talent and there are plenty of athletes with vast potential looking to take the legends’ places. Florence Brunelle (CAN) enjoyed a superb 2022 ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, winning three gold medals, while Lee Yubin (KOR) notched some impressive results across the season, as did Hanne Desmet (BEL) and Seo Whi Min (KOR).

Florence Brunelle(CAN) poses during the ISU World Junior Short Track Skating Championships 2022 in Gdansk (POL) @ISU (International Skating Union)

In the Men’s field, several young athletes, including Canada’s Steven Dubois and Jordan Pierre-Gilles, and Pietro Sighel of Italy all enjoyed fine moments.

Jordan Pierre-Gilles (CAN) and Pietro Sighel (ITA) compete during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (CHN) @GettyImages

It will be fascinating to see who emerges as we start a new Olympic cycle next season.