Medals
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 5 | 6 |
Speed Skating
Ivanie Blondin, 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Ridewood)
500 metre individual
1,000 metre individual
1,500 metre individual
3,000 metre individual
5,000 metre individual
10,000 metre individual
Mass Start
Team Pursuit
What's this sport all about:
The mass start race is back this year after a very long absence (it made one solitary appearance in 1932). Just imagine all the competitors get to race at the same time on the ice for 16 laps!
In the team pursuit event, three skaters from each country skate at the same time with one leading and the other two following closely behind. The first team to have all three skaters cross the finish line wins the race.
The skating oval is 400 metres, so each event has multiple laps ranging from just 1 1/4 laps for the 500 metre race to 25 laps for the 10,000 metre race.
Canada has won its most Olympic medals in speed skating.
When to watch
of events:
of events:
Our Canadian Athletes
Things to watch for
Mass start race at the speed skating World Cup, 2014. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Everyone race!: If you like seeing a whole bunch of speed skaters on the ice at once, check out the new mass start race where a maximum of 24 skaters start at the same time.
Wikimedia/Max Dohle/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 3.0
Clap skates: Check out the speed skater's cool skates — they're hinged so the boot can lift from the blade at the heel before clapping back into place.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Crossover: When the skaters go around a corner they'll cross their outer foot over the inner one to help maintain balance and speed — this step is called a crossover.
