Short track

A sort of «younger brother» of speed skating on ice, short track speed skating differs from its «big brother» in two main ways: first of all it takes place on a 111.12 metre track inside a 30x60m ice rink, and secondly it involves the athletes competing with each other in groups or heats of 4 or 8 competitors, reducing skaters’ room for manoeuvre considerably. For this reason, short track speed skating is characterised by its very high speed and above all by the fight between athletes to get in front and make it to the finishing line first.

The agility, power and speed required for this sport, along with the need to calculate competition tactics carefully, make short track speed skating one of the most exciting disciplines in the whole Universiade programme, with the result being uncertain until the very last moment and minimal gaps in time that can represent the difference between the gold medal and fourth place.

Short track speed skating was introduced to the programme of the Universiade for the first time in 1985, during the Belluno edition. On that occasion, 10 men’s teams and 9 women’s teams took part in the events, with a total of 58 athletes. The strongest teams from the beginning were the Canadians and the Americans, who took home several gold medals.

Today however the wind seems to have changed, and the strongest athletes almost all come from Asiatic countries (South Korea, Japan and China). Many short track speed skating athletes winning medals at the Universiade have also won important Olympic and world titles. Among them, we can find the names of two Chinese skaters with the same name Yang Yang (A) and Yang Yang (S), the Korean skater Min-Kyung Choi and the Italian skater Marta Capurso.

At the 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada the athletes will compete for eight gold medals, with six individual events and two relays.