How to watch short track speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022
Short track speed skating sees athletes compete against one another in high-intensity, chaotic races. Here is everything you need to know about the short track competition at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Short Track Speed Skating
The short track speed skating competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics features nine events in total, including the mixed team relay, which will make its Olympic debut.
The short track competition at the Games is scheduled to take place from 5 February - 16 February 2022.
Read on to find out more details about the competition at Beijing 2022.
ALSO: Olympic short track speed skating at Beijing 2022: Top five things to know
Short track speed skating events at Beijing 2022
Short track speed skating will feature a total of nine events at the Winter Olympics: four for men, four for women, and one mixed team event.
Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m team relay
Women: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m team relay
Mixed Team Relay
The mixed team relay will be making its Olympic debut after being introduced to the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup program in the 2018-19 season. The event consists of a 2,000-metre race, in which two women and two men from a country combine to cover 18 laps. Each skater races twice, following this order: woman-woman-man-man-woman-woman-man-man.
Short track speed skating stars to watch at Beijing 2022
Arianna Fontana, the reigning Olympic champion in the women's 500m, is one medal away from becoming the most successful athlete in Olympic short track history. The Italian secured gold in the 500m, silver in the 3000m relay, and bronze in the 1000m at PyeongChang 2018, bringing her total to eight medals in four Games.
Dutch sensation Suzanne Schulting will be the favourite for multiple medals after the 23-year-old won gold in every event at the 2021 World Championships. Schulting (who also won the 1000m in PyeongChang) may struggle to pull off the same feat in Beijing, but there's no doubt she will be among the favourites to medal - regardless of the events she's competing in.
On the men's side, 2018 500m Olympic champion and world record holder Wu Dajing (CHN) (who also won silver with his Chinese teammates in the 5000m relay at the 2018 Games) is a favourite to retain his title, while Hungarian brothers Shaolin Sandor and Shaoang Liu (HUN) (members of Hungary's winning 5000m relay team in PyeongChang) also pose a formidable threat. Shaolin won the 1000m and finished second to his brother in the overall competition at the 2021 World Championships, while Shaoang picked up gold in the 500m and silver in the 1000m. Both also won silver as part of Hungary's 5000m team at the competition.
READ: Dutch star Suzanne Schulting makes history at Dordrecht Worlds
Short track speed skating schedule at Beijing 2022
Venue: Capital Indoor Stadium
(All times are in local time, UTC+8)
5 February
19:00 - Women's 500m - Heats
19:38 - Men's 1000m - Heats
20:23 - Mixed Team Relay - Quarterfinals
20:53 - Mixed Team Relay - Semifinals
21:18 - Mixed Team Relay - Final B
21:26 - Mixed Team Relay - Final A
7 February
19:30 - Women's 500m - Quarterfinals
19:44 - Men's 1000m - Quarterfinals
20:13 - Women's 500m - Semifinals
20:20 - Men's 1000m - Semifinals
20:41 - Women's 500m - Final B
20:46 - Women's 500m - Final A
20:52 - Men's 1000m - Final B
20:58 - Men's 1000m - Final A
9 February
19:00 - Men's 1500m - Quarterfinals
19:44 - Women's 1000m - Heats
20:29 - Men's 1500m - Semifinals
20:45 - Women's 3000m Relay - Semifinals
21:13 - Men's 1500m - Final B
21:20 - Men's 1500m - Final A
11 February
19:00 - Women's 1000m - Quarterfinals
19:18 - Men's 500m - Heats
19:55 - Women's 1000m - Semifinals
20:04 - Men's 5000m Relay - Semifinals
20:37 - Women's 1000m - Final B
20:43 - Women's 1000m - Final A
13 February
19:00 - Men's 500m - Quarterfinals
19:27 - Men's 500m - Semifinals
19:35 - Women's 3000m Relay - Final B
19:44 - Women's 3000m Relay - Final A
20:09 - Men's 500m - Final B
20:14 - Men's 500m - Final A
16 February
19:30 - Women's 1500m - Quarterfinals
20:15 - Women's 1500m - Semifinals
20:32 - Men's 5000m Relay - Final B
20:44 - Men's 5000m Relay - Final A
21:11 - Women's 1500m - Final B
21:18 - Women's 1500m - Final A
How to watch short track speed skating at Beijing 2022
Short track is a chaotic sport, with skaters continually jostling for position. It's fitting, therefore, that over the course of the last two Winter Olympics (Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018), no skater has been able to successfully defend their title - save for the Republic of Korea's 3000m women's relay team.
Unlike speed skating, short track sees athletes competing against each other over a series of rounds. In this case, position counts, as the fastest finishers progress to the later rounds. Usually, four to six athletes compete in each race, with heats followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.
Athletes wear helmets in short track, as the risk of falling is much higher than in speed skating. Strategy is key, particularly in the longer short track races, as athletes must decide whether to lead from the front to avoid the dangers of the pack, or stay behind and conserve energy.