Kristen Santos-Griswold at the 1500m finish line at the ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Laval, Canada © ISU
The ISU Four Continents Short Track Championships 2024 got underway in Laval, Canada on Saturday, with Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) making history for her country by winning both the 1500m and 500m — becoming the first non-Canadian or Korean athlete to win an individual gold medal at a Four Continents meet.
In the 1500m, Courtney Sarault (CAN) took to the front of the pack with five laps to go and turned up the speed, but Santos-Griswold overtook her with two laps left and was just too quick for the Canadian, who finished second, with Danae Blais (CAN) getting bronze.
Canada's Courtney Sarault took the early lead in the 1500m at the ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Laval, Canada © ISU
Shortly afterwards, Santos-Griswold did it again. Park Jiwon (KOR) led early, but the American passed her on the second lap and thundered onward, beating the Korean convincingly.
Julie Letai (USA) thought she was going to join her teammate on the podium after crossing the line in third place, but was penalised. Veteran Shim Suk Hee (KOR) took the bronze.
Shim Suk Hee (KOR) competes in the 500m quarter-finals at the ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Laval, Canada © ISU
Mental attitude key for Americans
For Santos-Griswold, who also grabbed gold in the opening ISU World Cup meeting in Montreal two weeks ago, it has been a pitch perfect start to the season.
She credits an anxiety-reducing mental regime for her new-found positivity.
“I’m trying not to be so hard on myself sometimes, which is something I did in the past, and that I think is helping. I’m just doing one race at a time, one thing at a time, and that gets me out of my head. I feel pretty strong, and during the races I’m just staying calm throughout.
“When we practise, sometimes I used to think ‘tomorrow we have a hard practice, so today I need to be not that tired’. I’ve tried to stop that. Now, I just give it my all.”
She also has more going on away from the sport.
“One thing that has also really helped is that I’ve started up studying school again. That has been a real distraction from Short Track, which is kind of nice. Knowing that skating is a big part of my life, but not my whole life, has been really helpful. It has made skating more fun, rather than a job, it does give you perspective.”
Santos-Griswold is currently the USA’s leading skater by a stretch. It is in sharp contrast to the USA’s northern neighbor, Canada, which boasts multiple racers posting results across genders.
But Santos-Griswold believes that might change soon.
“I didn’t know this was USA’s first gold at a Four Continents. But I think this team will really develop and come through over the next few years. We are a young team, but one thing I think we have lacked in the past has been teamwork, and that is something that is building right now. We are showing how much being teammates matters, and it is really fun to see.”
Letai agrees.
“We are on the up and up. We support each other so well. I feel like I’m relating what I do in practice really well. We have an exciting young team. The best part of U.S. Speed Skating right now is that we all support each other. And Kristen is the best role model you can have. She talks about helping each other, and she is the leader of that, creating that culture on and off the ice. This is a great experience.”
Julie Letai (USA) was proud of her teammate's performance at the ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Laval, Canada © ISU
The ISU Four Continents Short Track Championships 2024 continues Sunday, with the 1000m and the relays.
Where to watch
Viewers will be able to watch the Saturday and Sunday afternoon (local time) World Cup sessions via their national broadcaster/channel.
For countries where there are no broadcasters and for the qualification races on Friday and repechage races (Saturday and Sunday morning), the ISU will offer a live stream with English commentary on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. You will find the full list on the Where to watch webpage here.
Only for the Friday qualification races and repechage races on Saturday and Sunday morning (local time), no geoblocking will apply.
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Stay connected with the ISU:
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ISU Short Track Speed Skating Championships events 2023/24:
Nov 4 - 5, 2023 ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Laval (CAN)
Jan 12 - 14, 2024 ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Gdansk (POL)
Feb 22 - 25, 2024 ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Gdansk (POL)
Mar 15 - 17, 2024 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Rotterdam (NED)
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