http://www.speedskating-online.com News and background stories http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsjan2012.htm On the first day of the Canadian Single Distance Championships in Calgary, Christine Nesbitt and Mathieu Giroux claimed the first titles of the weekend. Thu, 5 Jan 2012 16:27:10 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/juniojan2012.htm It is only his second season on the World Cup circuit as a long track speed skater, but already Gilmore Junio has consistently found his way into the top 10 in the 500m. After racing to some good results at the Canadian Fall World Cup Team Selections last October, including impressive personal bests in the 500m and the 1000m, Junio continued to show his good form in Chelyabinsk, Astana and Heerenveen, where the first three World Cups of the season took place. His best results so far include a 6th-place finish in Astana and a 7th-place finish in Heerenveen. Back home in Calgary, Junio reflects on the first weeks of competition, the Team Sprint and racing against Stefan Groothuis. Wed, 4 Jan 2012 18:49:41 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/morrisondec2011.htm With several podium finishes at the first World Cups of the season, Denny Morrison gave a good start to the 2011-2012 season. Where the post-Olympic season was disappointing for him due to an admitted lack of training, and as such served as a wake up call, this season was preceded by a good summer, jam-packed with motivated training, which has translated into solid results on the ice so far. With these promising results under his belt, Morrison reflects on the first half of the season and looks forward to what is still to come. Sun, 1 Jan 2012 14:29:19 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/duttondecember2011.htm His first season on the World Cup circuit did not end well for William Dutton, when he cut his achilles last March. But despite this setback, he was able to get some good summer training under his belt, and with the Fall World Cups of this season down, he can look back on some solid races. Two podium finishes in the B group 500m at the second Fall World Cup in Astana got him promoted to the A group in Heerenveen, where he raced his best 500m of the season thus far. On top of that, he competed in a demo event in Heerenveen, the Team Sprint, in which Canada was represented by two mens teams and finished 3rd and 4th. With the Canadian Single Distances Championships just around the corner, Dutton reflects on his World Cup races and the Team Sprint, and looks forward to the rest of the season. Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:25:39 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsnovember2011.htm On the first day of the first World Cup of the season, in Chelyabinsk, there were gold medals for Jing Yu, Pekka Koskela, Martina Sablikova and Stefan Groothuis. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:34:39 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/fallwcoct2011.htm At the Canadian Fall World Cup Team Selections in Calgary last month, familiar names like Cindy Klassen and Denny Morrison ruled in the middle distances. In the 500m however, the world was in for a few surprises. In the womens 500m, Anastasia Bucsis (22) claimed victory in both heats, whereas on the mens side Gilmore Junio (21) skated to a seasons best time in his second 500m. And they both did so in some huge personal bests. Meet Bucsis and Junio, as they look back on that amazing weekend in October and look forward to the Fall World Cups, that are about to kick off this weekend in Chelyabinsk. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:50:41 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsoctober2011.htm This weekend, the Canadian Fall World Cup Team Selections are taking place in Calgary. Today, the long track speed skaters raced the first distance, the womens and mens 1000m, in which Cindy Klassen and Denny Morrison finished first. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:18:39 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/dhilloct2011.htm Australian speed skating is on the rise with athletes like Daniel Greig and Joshua Lose, who both successfully made the transition from inline skating to speed skating on ice. Important for both athletes careers and for this crossover was, and still is, their coach Desly Hill. For the third and final part of our series on Australian speed skating, Speedskating Online talked to Hill about Greig and Lose, and about the international group of skaters that seems to benefit so much from Hills skills and experience. Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:10:19 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/jloseoct2011.htm Australian speed skating is on the rise. In our last feature story, we focused on sprinter Daniel Greig, a former successful inline skater who crossed over to speed skating on ice. In this second part of a three-part story on Australian speed skating, Joshua Lose will be featured. Lose, more of a long distances speed skater than Greig, also was successful as an inline skater before he made the transition to the ice. In 2007, however, he was involved in a car accident that almost ended his career. In this interview, Lose looks back on that dark time and on his past season, and looks forward to the next season and the years leading up to Sochi 2014. Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:13:21 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/apps/blog/show/9419081-who-knows-some-rookie-might-even-be-able-to-outrun-one-or-two-experienced-skaters- Our latest spot news entry is written by German speed skating fan Lisa Solbach. Check out the website to read her view on the upcoming season. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:18:41 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/dgreigokt2011.htm If you thought Australian speed skating is and has always been all about Colin Coates, you have either been living under a rock or you need to think again. With the help and support of Desly Hill, former inline skaters Daniel Greig and Joshua Lose successfully switched to long track speed skating a couple of years ago, and now slowly but surely seem to be making their way to the top. Where Greig looks back on an impressive World Sprints in Heerenveen last January with several national records, Lose made a name for himself with his tenth-place finish in the 5000m at the World Single Distances Championships in Inzell last March. So how did these two Australians end up training for actual skating on actual ice, how successful were they as inliners and what terrible accident almost ended Lose his career? Read all about this and more in this three part story on Australian speed skating. In this first part, Daniel Greig will be the main focus, Joshua Lose will be featured in part 2, and for part 3 Speedskating Online talked to Desly Hill, their coach. Sun, 9 Oct 2011 12:58:39 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/lmakowskyoct2011.htm After his gold-medal performance in the Team Pursuit at the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, Lucas Makowsky was looking for another season to once again improve his results, like he had been over the past couple of years. And even though his past season was off to a rocky start after a foot infection, he did manage to close it off with a bronze medal at the World Single Distances Championships, which was his first individual medal ever at this competition. With the start of the 2011-2012 season just around the corner, Makowsky reflects on his past year and looks forward to what is coming up. Sat, 1 Oct 2011 14:11:39 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/summer2011part2.htm With the summer closing to an end, Canadian speed skaters are working towards the end of an interesting training period. The roof of the Olympic Oval in Calgary was under repair this spring and summer, forcing the athletes to find other places to get the first on-ice training laps under their belt. After a cycling camp in Penticton, BC, the Canadian sprint team found refuge in Montana first for another cycling camp, and then spent a long time in Salt Lake City for their on-ice training. Denny Morrison and Richard MacLennan, both on the Canadian sprint team, look back on the summer and talk cycling for a change. Thu, 8 Sep 2011 19:29:41 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/summer2011part1.htm This summer has been different from other summers for the Canadian sprint team. Because the roof of the Olympic Oval in Calgary was under repair, they have been spending a considerable amount of time in the US; first for cycling camps, and then for on-ice training in Salt Lake City. The Canadian sprint team consists of veterans like Denny Morrison and Jamie Gregg, who have been on the national team for years, and fairly new additions like Richard MacLennan and Gilmore Junio, who look back on their first or second year on the World Cup circuit. Speedskating-online talked to Morrison and MacLennan about their past season, summer training, cycling, and their rookie year. Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:11:58 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/bt2june2011.htm Almost two months ago, on May 1, former long track speed skater Justine LHeureux and a couple of friends set out on what was to become a heroic bike tour all across Canada. They started out from LHeureux hometown, near Montreal, QC, and are planning to arrive in Panorama, BC shortly before the first annual Branch Out Bike Tour on June 25th, 55 days and 4500 km later. They are doing so to help build more awareness of diseases associated with the neurological system, like Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinsons, and to raise as much money as possible for research of these conditions. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:36:19 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/btjune2011.htm On June 25 several Canadian speed skaters will participate in the first annual Branch Out Bike Tour to help build more awareness of diseases associated with the neurological system, like Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinsons. Among them will be Justine LHeureux, runner-up at the Junior World Championships in 2008, but for her the Bike Tour will be the pinnacle of an epic bike trip across Canada to draw attention to neurological diseases, starting on May 1 near Montreal, QC and concluding on June 25 in Panorama, BC for the Bike Tour. LHeureux is determined to complete this journey to help out her good friend and co-founder of the Branch Out Foundation, speed skater Crystal Phillips, who was diagnosed with MS herself a couple of years ago. Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:53:31 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsfeb2011.htm The Dutch claimed gold in both distances today at the World Cup in Salt Lake City. Marrit Leenstra skated to the fastest time in the 1500m, whereas Bob de Jong finished first in the 10k. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:53:31 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsfeb2011.htm The long distances World Cup in Salt Lake City had a great start today with an amazing world record, when Martina Sablikova skated to the fastest time ever skated by a woman in the 5000m. On top of that, Trevor Marsicano finished first in the men's 1500m. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:10:28 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsjanuary2011.htm In terms of individual performances, it was a good last day for Team Canada at the World Cup in Moscow, with a gold and silver medal in the 1000m for respectively Christine Nesbitt and Denny Morrison. In the Team Pursuit, the Dutch women and the Russian men finished first. Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:36:42 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsjanuary2011.htm On the second day of the World Cup in Moscow, there were gold medals for Jenny Wolf and Jan Smeekens in respectively the womens and mens 500m. Moreover, Christine Nesbitt claimed another victory in the womens 1500m and Bob de Jong finished first in the mens 5000m. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:01:10 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsjanuary2011.htm On the first day of the World Cup in Moscow, Jenny Wolf, Pekka Koskela, Martina Sablikova and Ivan Skobrev finished first in respectively the womens and mens 500m, the womens 3000m and the mens 1500m. On top of that, there were medals for Canadians Brittany Schussler, Jamie Gregg and Denny Morrison. Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:55:29 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsjanuary2011.htm Commotion on the second day of the World Sprint Championships in Heerenveen, when Stefan Groothuis was disqualified in the 500m for crossing the line three times, and then un-disqualified again to finish 4th overall. Christine Nesbitt and Kyou-Hyuk Lee were crowned World Champions Sprint. Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:13:51 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsjanuary2011.htm After the first day of competition, Christine Nesbitt and Stefan Groothuis are currently taking the lead at the World Sprint Championships in Heerenveen. Nesbitt crushed the competition with an amazing new track record in the 1000m, while Groothuis beat Olympic Champion Shani Davis in the same distance. Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:02:12 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsjanuary2011.htm On the first day of the Canadian Single Distances Championships in Calgary, Denny Morrison and Christine Nesbitt skated to the fastest times in respectively the mens 1500m and womens 3000m. On the first day of the European Allround Championships in Collalbo, Jan Blokhuijsen is taking the lead after the 500m and 5000m. Konrad Niedzwiedzki finished first in the 500m in 36.04, and Ivan Skobrev was first in the 5000m in 6:30.01. Blokhuijsen was second in the 500m and 4th in the 5000m. The women will start their competition tomorrow. Fri, 7 Jan 2011 20:44:29 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/duttonjan2011.htm After finishing second overall in the 500m and fourth in the 1000m at the Fall World Cup Trials last October, William Dutton, who is currently in his second year as a senior, qualified for the Canadian World Cup team for the very first time in his career. Starting in Heerenveen and Berlin in November, and then heading out to Asia in December, he claimed a silver medal in the B group in Berlin, and eventually ended up skating several of his races in the A division. With his first World Cup experiences under his belt and the Canadian Single Distances Championships just around the corner, Dutton reflects on the past two months and looks forward to the Winter part of the season. Tue, 4 Jan 2011 18:32:41 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/juniodec2010.htm Short track speed skating had always been Gilmore Junios main focus, and long track was just something he did on the side. That was until a serious injury took him out, two weeks prior to the competition he had been working towards to for a very long time. Looking for a safer way to train and skate, Junio then turned to long track, which last October resulted in qualification for the Canadian long track World Cup team for the first time in his career. Back home in Calgary after having competed in Europe and Asia, Junio reflects on his first World Cup experiences and his switch from short track to long track. Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:53:19 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsdecember2010.htm On the second day of the sprint World Cup in Obihiro, Jenny Wolf and Joji Kato finished first in the womens and mens 500m, and Heather Richardson and Samuel Schwarz raced to the fastest times in the womens and mens 1000m. Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:36:21 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsdecember2010.htm On the first day of the sprint World Cup in Obihiro, there were gold medals for Sang-Hwa Lee and Kang-Seok Lee in the womens and mens 500m, and Heather Richardson and Shani Davis finished first in the womens and mens 1000m. Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:08:19 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsdecember2010.htm On the second day of the sprint World Cup in Changchun, three of the four gold medals were won by the same skaters as yesterday: Sang-Hwa Lee, Christine Nesbitt and Stefan Groothuis all claimed another World Cup victory in respectively the womens 500m and 1000m and the mens 1000m. Only todays mens 500m saw another gold-medalist: Tucker Fredricks finished first. Sun, 5 Dec 2010 11:54:53 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsdecember2010.htm On the first day of the sprint World Cup in Changchun, Sang-Hwa Lee, Kang-Seok Lee, Christine Nesbitt and Stefan Groothuis finished first in respectively the womens and mens 500m and the womens and mens 1000m. Sat, 4 Dec 2010 15:40:41 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsnovember2010.htm A successful day for the Canadian women on the second day of the World Cup in Hamar! Christine Nesbitt claimed another first-place finish in the 1500m, in which Brittany Schussler was third, and the Canadian women also finished first in the Team Pursuit. Bob de Jong skated the fastest time in the men's 10k. Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:59:32 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsnovember2010.htm Speedskating Canada announced the teams for the World Cups in Changchun and Obihiro Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:36:38 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsnovember2010.htm On the first day of the middle and long distances World Cup in Hamar, there were first-place finishes for Trevor Marsicano, Stephanie Beckert and the American mens Team Pursuit team. Sat, 27 Nov 2010 17:43:19 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsnovember2010.htm On the third day of the World Cup in Heerenveen, Keiichiro Nagashima finished first in the mens 500m, Christine Nesbitt skated the fastest time in the womens 1500m and Bob de Jong claimed the gold in the mens 5000m. Sun, 14 Nov 2010 21:45:29 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsnovember2010.htm Three distances on the second day of the first World Cup of the season, in Heerenveen: like yesterday, Jenny Wolf finished first in the womens 500m, Shani Davis also claimed his second gold medal of the weekend, this time in the 1500m, and Stephanie Beckert was first in the womens 3000m. Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:41:51 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/newsnovember2010.htm On the first day of the first World Cup of the season, in Heerenveen, Jenny Wolf and Joji Kato finished first in the 500m, and Christine Nesbitt and Shani Davis (both 1000m Olympic gold medalists) skated to the fastest times in the 1000m. Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:38:21 GMT http://www.speedskating-online.com/morrisonnov2010.htm Even though the Olympics in Vancouver were a disappointment for Denny Morrison in terms of his individual performances in the 1000m and 1500m and the aftermath in the media shortly thereafter, he showed some remarkable resilience when he helped Team Canada win Olympic Gold in the Team Pursuit just a few days later. But that was then, and this is now. With his 1:08.46 in the 1000m at the Fall World Cup Trials in Calgary last month, Morrison gave a good start to this post-Olympic season, and as a result he is confidently looking forward to what is to come. But not before looking back one last time. In his own words, Morrison reflects on the two days of Olympic Team Pursuit racing, that gave an otherwise clouded Olympics a gold lining after all. Tue, 9 Nov 2010 20:08:19 GMT