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Gilli Kim (KOR)  ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships2022 Gdansk (POL) @ISU 1238976583

Gilli Kim (KOR) competes during the ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2022 in Gdansk (POL) @ISU

The ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships take place in Dresden, Germany, from 27-29 January and the event will be live streamed on the Ice Skating Channel.

The event, which has been running since 1994, often gives a glimpse into the future of the sport. The likes of Suzanne Schulting (NED), Choi Min Jeong (KOR), Shaoang Liu (HUN), and Lee June Seo (KOR) have all used the event as a springboard to brilliant senior careers.

Who will shine this time around?

Kim and Brunelle lock horns

Two names immediately jump out in the women’s field for Short Track fans: Kim Gilli (KOR) and Florence Brunelle (CAN). Both athletes already have excellent Junior World credentials.

The Korean racer won the 1000m gold in 2020 when she was just 15, and the 1500m last year in Gdansk, Poland.

Gilli Kim(KOR) ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2022 Gdansk (POL) ISU 1238976754

Gilli Kim (KOR) competes during the ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2022 in Gdansk (POL) @ISU

Her performances were enough to convince her national coaches that Kim was ready for Korea’s main team, and their confidence has been vindicated: Kim picked up her first ISU World Cup individual gold in Salt Lake City this season, and has been a key member of Korea’s elite mixed and women’s Relay teams.

Technically superb and with a lightning finish, 18-year-old Kim is perhaps Korea’s most exciting female talent since Choi.

Minjeong Choi (KOR) Gilli Kim (KOR) and Anna Seidel (GER)  ISU World Cup Short Track Salt Lake City (USA) ISU 1439363146

Minjeong Choi (KOR), Gilli Kim (KOR) and Anna Seidel (GER) pose during the ISU World Cup Short Track in Salt Lake City (USA) @ISU

Brunelle is also already a star on the senior circuit, having raced with the Canada women’s Relay team at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

At last year’s Junior Worlds, she was the star of the show, putting in dominant performances to win the 500m and 1000m individual races, plus the women’s 3000m Relay.

Florence Brunelle (CAN)  ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships  2022 in Gdansk, (POL) ISU 1238977790

Florence Brunelle (CAN) competes during the ISU World Junior Short Track Championships 2022 in Gdansk, (POL) @ISU

Still just 19, Brunelle’s raw speed and tactical savvy place her in direct competition with Kim for glory this time around.

Look out, too, for Angel Daleman (NED), who won a silver medal last year in the 1500m and looks to be progressing well. 

Angel Daleman (NED) National Championships Netherlands Short Track 2023 Leeuwarden, (NED) GettyImages 1454181011

Angel Daleman (NED) competes during the Short Track National Championships 2023 in Leeuwarden, (NED) @GettyImages 

Korea and Netherlands lead men’s charge

The men’s field doesn’t contain senior stars like the women’s line-up. Jenning de Boo (NED) could be one to watch – he showed exceptional speed while winning the 500m last season – but his participation is not certain due to illness.

Jenning de Boo (NED)  ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2022 in Gdansk (POL) ISUs 1238950176

Jenning de Boo (NED) competes during the ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2022 in Gdansk (POL) @ISU

Expect his Dutch teammates, and the Republic of Korea, however, to lead the field this weekend.

Korea has long been a conveyor belt of young Short Track talent, with junior participants traditionally shining at this event and then moving up to the senior squad. Lee Dogyu, Shin Dong Min, and Lee Donghyun are their three fastest men this time around.

Lee Donghyun (KOR) ISU World Cup Short Track 2022  Almaty (KAZ) ISU 1449849878

Lee Donghyun (KOR) poses during the ISU World Cup Short Track 2022 in Almaty (KAZ) @ISU

Dogyu won two medals at last season’s competition, where both the 1500m and 1000m podiums were made up entirely of Korean competitors.

The Netherlands however are starting to challenge this Korean junior supremacy, and Bas van der Valk, Ted Dalrymple, Niels Bergsma, Idse van Benthum, and Stan Rijksen will arrive in Dresden hopeful.

Young male Netherlands skaters such as Jens van ’t Wout, 21, are already thriving in World Cups, and this is their chance to show they are ready, too.

Jens van twout NED Gdansk Jan 23 1500m cover 1456388180

Jens van t'Wout (NED) competes during the European Short Track Championships 2022 in Gdansk (POL) @ISU

Qualifying rounds take place on Friday 27 January, with 1500m and 500m finals contested on Saturday 28 January. The men’s and women’s 1000m, and the women’s and men’s 3000m Relays, take place on Sunday 29 January.

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