High-speed chaos on ice: what to know about short-track speedskating at the Winter Olympics
The shorter form of speedskating is not about beating the clock, but about beating all the other athletes grouped together around an oval
The most decorated short-track speed skater in Olympic history will be looking to add to her impressive medal tally in front of a home crowd at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Here’s what to know about the short track competition.
How it works
Unlike long-track speedskating, in which most events are one-on-one races against the clock, short-track is about beating all of the other athletes grouped together on the ice while they sprint anticlockwise laps around an oval.
In short track, the competitors wear helmets and gloves to offer protection from, among other things, blade cuts that could result from the frequent collisions and falls.
Whom to watch
Assuming she is healthy – a hip flexor issue sidelined her for part of the season – Italy’s Arianna Fontana will be a must-watch athlete at these Olympics, both because of the support the 35-year-old from the northern town of Sondrio will receive from her compatriots in the crowd and her standing as the owner of the most Olympic medals in the history of short track.
This will be Fontana’s sixth Winter Games and second at home: she was just 15 at the 2006 Turin Games and came away with a bronze from the 3,000m relay. That was just the start for someone who has collected 11 Olympic medals in all: two golds in the 500m, four silvers and five bronzes.
William Dandjinou was left off Canada’s Olympic squad in 2022 but has since won four world championship golds. Dandjinou and Courtney Sarault gave the Canadians a sweep of the men’s and women’s 2025 World Tour crystal globes.