ISU World Cup Short Track 2021: Top things to know about Nagoya competition
The ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating series will make its second stop in Nagoya, Japan as athletes continue to compete for quota spots for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Short Track Speed Skating
The 2021-2022 International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating series will make its second stop in Nagoya, Japan this week, after the competition got underway in Beijing on 21 October.
The contest in Japan is the second of four stages of the qualifying competition for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Here are the top things to know about the World Cup event in Nagoya.
Olympic short track speed skating at Beijing 2022: Top five things to know
When and where is the World Cup event taking place?
The event is taking place between October 28 - 31, 2021 at the Nippon Gaishi Arena in Nagoya, Japan.
Which events will be contested at the World Cup?
The scheduled events on the ISU Short Track World Cup circuit are the same that will be contested at Beijing 2022.
Individual Women and Men: 500m, 1000, 1500m
Relay: Women's 3000m relay, Men's 5000m relay, Mixed Team Relay
Key athletes to watch
There are a number of big names who rose to the top of the standings following the ISU World Cup in Beijing and appear primed to consolidate their hold in their respective competitions in Nagayo.
PyeongChang 2018 5000m relay gold medallist and two-time world champion Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) is the current leader in the men's 500m standings while 2019 European 500m champion Natalia Maliszewska (POL) tops the women's table ahead of eight-time Olympic medallist Arianna Fontana (ITA).
Dutch powerhouse Suzanne Schulting, who won gold in the women's 1000m at PyeongChang 2018 and won every event in the women's competition at the 2021 world championships, is in first place in the women's 1000m standings; Hwang Dae-heon (KOR), who won silver in the men's 500m in PyeongChang, is the leader in the men's division.
3000m relay world and Olympic champion Lee Yu-bin (KOR) and 5000m Olympic champion Semion Elistratov (RUS) both won the 1500m race in the women's and men's competitions in Beijing, respectively.
The relay competition in both the men's and women's categories will likely come down to the final World Cup series in Dordrecht in November. In the men's 5000m relay, defending Olympic champions Hungary currently sit second behind the Netherlands, while People's Republic of China won the first World Cup race in the women's 3000m relay. 2018 Olympic champions Republic of Korea are third, with PyeongChang bronze medallists Netherlands second.
The mixed team relay will be a new Olympic event for Beijing 2022, so the results of the World Cup series could provide some indication as to how the podium will look at the Games next year. People's Republic of China stormed to victory in front of their home crowd in Beijing last week, with the Netherlands and Republic of Korea rounding out the top three.