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Joey Mantia (USA) competes during the 2021 ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Thialf (NED) @ISU

Joey Mantia (USA) assumed the role of anchor for the US Speed Skating team after the retirement of the legendary Shani Davis in 2019. However, after years of dedication and remarkable achievements, Mantia himself decided to hang up his blades last week. In an Instagram thread post, the 37-year-old three-time World Champion announced his well-deserved retirement:

“Might as well make my first thread the announcement of my retirement. It’s been such a good ride, but nothing lasts forever“.

Florida on ice
As a Florida native, Mantia took up inline speed skating at a young age. Describing himself as a ‘rink rat’ he collected 28 world titles on wheels before switching to ice in 2011.

“What really got me over, was the fact that I got a feeling of redundancy in inline, going into the same routine every year. I did not want to find myself digging a hole and end up hating what I had loved my whole life, so I packed up all my stuff and moved to Salt Lake City”, he explained.

The switch from wheels to ice did not come easy. Mantia said:

“My biggest problem was that I was stubborn when I came over. I thought that I knew more than the coaches did, and that did not help me a lot.”

Joey Mantia (USA) competes during the 2022 ISU World Cup Final in Thialf (NED) @ISU

Although the technique has a lot of similarities, Mantia was struggling to adapt to the ice:

“I had to detrain myself not to double-push. Still, if you watch closely, you can see that bob up and down a little bit. There’s a sweet spot in inline skating, that I always felt was really efficient for me, that felt like home. Ice skating for me is not natural at all.”

Ace up his sleeve
Despite his initial difficulties, Mantia went on to win his first ISU World Cup gold medal in Berlin (GER) in the 2013/14 season. He went on to win four more 1500m ISU World Cup races and also seized the 1500m ISU World Cup Trophy in the 2021/22 season.

Connor Howe (CAN), Joey Mantia (USA). and Kjeld Nuis (NED) pose during the 2022 ISU World Cup Final in Thialf (NED) @ISU

Despite his 1500m honors, Mantia never really felt at ease in the classic Speed Skating distances on ice. As an inline skater he was used to pack racing, which is a completely different format. He explained:

“Time trialing is something I never had to do. I had to learn how to put the maximum effort in a race over a distance of 1500m or 5000m, whatever the distance is.”

The introduction of the Mass Start event in the ISU World Cup schedule handed Mantia a perfect opportunity to make a name for himself on ice.

“It’s right in my wheelhouse”, he said about the event.

“For me it’s the ace up the sleeve. I always feel comfortable going into the Mass Start. I feel like I can win anytime. No matter what happens in the 1000m or the 1500m, I’ll always have that Mass Start trick, even when the skating doesn’t connect. If I don’t feel hundred percent, I can still make things work in the Mass Start. I feel confident enough in my skating if I step to the line, that I can win a field sprint.”

Joey Mantia (USA) competes during the 2021 ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Thialf (NED) @ISU

Mantia went on to win ISU World Mass Start titles in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Despite being one of the initial favorites when the event was first introduced in the Olympic program at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, he ultimately finished eighth. Similarly, in the subsequent Olympic Winter Games held in Beijing (CHN) four years later, he narrowly missed a podium position, settling for fourth place.

Team Puruit glory
Mantia did seize an Olympic medal, however. Together with Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Ethan Cepuran he took Team Pursuit bronze in Beijng (CHN). He also took the Team Pursuit world record (3:34.47) with Lehman and Dawson on 5 December 2021 on home ice in Salt Lake City (USA).

Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman and Joey Mantia (USA) pose during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games @GettyImages

Mantia did not skate internationally last season, due to recurring back problems. His intention was to return on the ice, but that did not work out eventually. The triple World Champion has indicated that he wants to continue his career as a coach for future talents.