Short-track speed skating at the Winter Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Short-track speed skating at the Winter Olympics |
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| Events | 9 (men: 4; women: 4; mixed: 1) |
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Short-track speed skating is an exciting sport where athletes race on ice skates around a small oval track. It became an official sport at the Winter Olympics in 1992, held in Albertville, France. Before that, it was shown as a 'demonstration sport' in 1988. This means it was there to show people what it was like, but the medals didn't count officially.
One country has been super strong in this sport: South Korea. They have won more medals than any other country since 1992. In fact, most of South Korea's Winter Olympic medals come from short-track speed skating!
At the 2010 Winter Olympics, a skater named Haralds Silovs from Latvia made history. He was the first athlete ever to compete in both short-track and long-track speed skating at the same Olympics. Even more amazing, he did both on the same day!
Another incredible skater is Viktor Ahn. After winning the 500m race at the 2014 Winter Olympics, he became the first short-track speed skater to win gold medals in all four main short-track events. These events are the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and the 5000m relay. Viktor Ahn won 3 gold medals in 2014 while representing Russia. He had also won 3 gold medals in 2006, representing South Korea.
In July 2018, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added a new event to short-track speed skating: the mixed relay. This race is 2000 meters long and has teams with both male and female skaters. This addition brought the total number of short-track events at the Olympics to nine.
Contents
Short-Track Speed Skating at the Olympics: A Quick Look
Short-track speed skating has been a part of the Winter Olympics for many years. Here's a summary of how it has grown:
| Games | Year | Events | Best Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1988 | 10 |  Netherlands |
| 16 | 1992 | 4 |  South Korea |
| 17 | 1994 | 6 | South Korea |
| 18 | 1998 | 6 |  South Korea |
| 19 | 2002 | 8 |  China |
| 20 | 2006 | 8 | South Korea |
| 21 | 2010 | 8 | China |
| 22 | 2014 | 8 |  Russia |
| 23 | 2018 | 8 |  South Korea |
| 24 | 2022 | 9 | South Korea |
Olympic Short-Track Events
Short-track speed skating has different races for men, women, and now mixed teams.
- • means it was an official event.
- (d) means it was a demonstration event.
Men's Events
| Event | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 94 | 98 | 02 | 06 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 22 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 metres | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| 1000 metres | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| 1500 metres | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5000-metre relay | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Total events | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Women's Events
| Event | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 94 | 98 | 02 | 06 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 22 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 metres | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| 1000 metres | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| 1500 metres | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3000-metre relay | (d) | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Total events | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Mixed Events
| Event | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 94 | 98 | 02 | 06 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 22 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-metre relay | • | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total events | 1 |
Olympic Medals in Short-Track Speed Skating
This table shows which countries have won the most medals in short-track speed skating at the Winter Olympics, up to the 2022 Winter Olympics.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea (KOR) |
26 | 16 | 11 | 53 |
| 2 | China (CHN) |
12 | 16 | 9 | 37 |
| 3 |  Canada (CAN) |
10 | 13 | 14 | 37 |
| 4 |  United States (USA) |
4 | 7 | 9 | 20 |
| 5 |  Italy (ITA) |
3 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
| 6 | Netherlands (NED) |
3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Russia (RUS) |
3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 |  Hungary (HUN) |
2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 |  Japan (JPN) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 |  Australia (AUS) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 |  Bulgaria (BUL) |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 |  Republic of China (ROC) (ROC) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 |  Belgium (BEL) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 North Korea (PRK) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Unified Team (EUN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 entries) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 195 | |
Top Skaters in Short-Track History
- Viktor Ahn has won the most Olympic gold medals in short track, with 6 golds.
- Italian skater Arianna Fontana has won the most Olympic medals among women, with eleven medals.
- Viktor Ahn and Apolo Anton Ohno have won the most Olympic medals among men, each with eight medals.
See also
In Spanish: Patinaje de velocidad en pista corta en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
