2024-25 ISU World Cup Speed Skating: Preview, schedule and how to watch live
Lace up your skates, remove your blade guards and prepare for another edition of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating.
Speed Skating
Go to the start. Ready. Go! The world’s best speed skaters are set to duel once more, with the start of the 2024-25 ISU World Cup Speed Skating heralding in yet another thrilling season of side-by-side action.
Skaters will go head-to-head in both sprint distances - 500m, 1000m, 1500m - and long distances - 3000m/5000m and 5000m/10000m. They will clash in the mass start event, display their teamwork in the team sprint/team pursuit and adopt new strategies to claim victory in the mixed gender relay.
A delicate combination of power, speed, and endurance will be paired with outstanding technique and incredible technology as skaters look to beat the clock and their fellow athletes to claim bragging rights, World Cup points, and a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
The M-Wave, site of speed skating competitions during the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, will get the season started on 22-24 November. All eyes will remain fixed on the icy lanes of indoor skating ovals until the conclusion of the World Cup in Heerenveen, Netherlands, from 28 February to 2 March.
Read on to discover the key things you need to know about the newest season of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating, including the season schedule, key athletes to follow and how to watch competitions live throughout the winter.
Big names return to the ice during world cup competitions
There was one name synonymous with men’s competitions during the 2023-24 season: Jordan Stolz.
The 20-year-old from West Bend, Wisconsin tore up the oval, skating to numerous world cup victories before claiming the all-around world title and three individual distance world championship titles in the men’s 500m, 1000m and 1500m.
Stolz will return to the ice this season, looking to pick up where he left off, with an eye on the countdown towards Milano Cortina 2026.
Of course, with slim margins separating the world’s best skaters, he’ll need to keep his skates running fast to stay ahead of the People’s Republic of China’s Zhongyan Ning, who edged him out of the number one ranking in both the 1000m and 1500m last season.
Stolz will also need to improve his times in long distance events to keep up with the likes of Italy’s Davide Ghiotto and Norway’s Patrick Roest.
Ghiotto, who set a blazing fast personal best time to claim the 10000m world title last season, will be particularly keen on solidifying his distance credentials ahead of his home Olympics, while Roest - the current 5000m world champion - will be eager to continue a line of Dutch dominance in the sport.
By just about every measure, women’s competitions during the 2023-24 season were dominated by Japan’s Takagi Miho - at least in the sprints.
The unyielding skating machine from Makubetsu, Japan stormed to victory in the women’s 1000m and 1500m at the 2024 ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championship to cap off a brilliant season, which saw her win the sprint world title and lead the world cup points standings in the 1000m and 1500m.
Nevertheless, she’ll face competition in the sprints from Team USA’s Erin Jackson, China’s Mei Han and the Netherlands’ Femke Kok, among other top skaters.
The distance events might very well be a mostly Dutch affair - split between world all-around champion Joy Beune and double individual distance world championship medallist Irene Schouten - unless Norway’s Ragne Wiklund and Czechia’s Martina Sáblíková find the necessary form to challenge the flying Dutchwomen.
With so many intriguing battles on offer in the individual events, there will hardly be a moment for athletes and fans to catch their breath during the 2024-25 ISU World Cup Speed Skating.
Schedule of the 2024-25 ISU World Cup Speed Skating
The 2024-25 ISU World Cup Speed Skating features six stops across three continents: Asia, North America and Europe. Here is the full schedule for this season:
- 22-24 November: Nagano, Japan
- 29 November - 1 December: Beijing, People's Republic of China
- 24-26 January: Calgary, Canada
- 31 January - 2 February: Milwaukee, United States of America
- 21-23 February: Zakopane, Poland
- 28 February - 2 March: Heerenveen, Netherlands
The 2025 ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships will be held in Hamar, Norway from 13-16 March, after the conclusion of the 2024-25 ISU World Cup Speed Slaking.
2024-25 ISU World Cup Speed Skating: How to watch live
The International Skating Union (ISU) will offer live streaming of World Tour competitions on its YouTube account with geo-blocking across several territories. Check the ISU's "where to watch" page for more information.