All Trains from Paris to Turin 2006 Winter Olympics

Short track speed skating
 

Medal Results 2006 and 2002 Olympic Games 

Short track speed skating (also Shorttrack speedskating) is a form of ice skating akin to speed skating. In competitions, a number of skaters (typically 4 to 6) skate simultaneously on a short indoor ice track (111 m). The sport is held at the Olympic Winter Games.

History

The sport of short track speed skating originates in the speed skating events held with mass starts. This form of speed skating was mainly practised in the United States and Canada, as opposed to the international form, where skaters skated in pairs.

At the 1932 Olympic Winter Games, speed skating events were conducted in mass start form. Competitions in North America were also held indoors, for example in Madison Square Garden, New York, and therefore on shorter tracks than was usual for outdoor skating.

In 1967, the International Skating Union (ISU) adopted short track speed skating, although it would take some time before it started to organise international events, in 1976. World Championships are held since 1981 (though earlier event later also received that status).

At the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, held in Calgary, Canada, short track was a demonstration sport. The status was upgraded to a full Olympic sport four years later, and short track speed skating has been an Olympic sport since.

Canada has long been a dominant country in the sport, but currently the sport is highly popular in many Asian countries, notably The People's Republic of China, South Korea and Japan, which has its reflections on the international events.

Through the smaller ice tracks and shorter, often spectacular, competitions, short track speed skating has grown bigger than its older brother, (long track) speed skating in many countries.

 

2006 Winter Olympic Games Short track speed skating      500 m Men: Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver     Bronze     1000 m Men: Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver     Bronze     1500 m Men: Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver Bronze               5,000 m Relay Men Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver     Bronze         500m Women: Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver     Bronze     1000m Women: Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver     Bronze     1500m Women: Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver     Bronze     3000m Relay Women Medal Athlete Time Gold     Silver     Bronze	2002 Winter Olympic Games Short track speed skating 500m Men: Medal Athlete Time Gold Marc Gagnon (CAN) 41.802 Silver Jonathan Guilmette (CAN) 41.994 Bronze Rusty Smith (USA) 42.027 1000m Men: Medal Athlete Time Gold Steven Bradbury (AUS) 1:29.109 Silver Apolo Anton Ohno (USA) 1:30.160 Bronze Mathieu Turcotte (CAN) 1:30.563 Bradbury was way behind in 5th place, but all the other finalists collided and fell while turning the last corner. He crossed the line first to win Australia's first Olympic winter gold medal. Favorite Ohno, who led before getting hit, suffered a cut in his thigh in the fall but scrambled across the ice to cross the line second. Turcotte, felled at the same time, likewise recovered to take third. 1500m Men: Medal Athlete Time Gold Apolo Anton Ohno (USA) 2:18.541 Silver Li Jiajun (CHN) 2:18.731 Bronze Marc Gagnon (CAN) 2:18.806 5,000m Relay Men: Medal Athlete Time Gold Canada (Éric Bédard, Marc Gagnon, Jonathan Guilmette, François-Louis Tremblay, Mathieu Turcotte) 6:51.579 Silver Italy (Michele Antonioli, Maurizio Carnino, Fabio Carta, Nicola Franceshcina, Nicola Rodigari) 6:56.327 Bronze China (Li Jiajun, An Yulong, Li Ye, Feng Kai, Guo Wei 6:59.633 500 m Women: Medal Athlete Time Gold Yang Yang (A) (CHN) 44.187 Silver Evgenia Radanova (BUL) 44.252 Bronze Wang Chunlu (CHN) 44.272 Yang Yang (A) - the A is to distinguish from Yang Yang (S) - won the People's Republic of China's first Olympic winter gold medal. 1000m Women: Medal Athlete Time Gold Yang Yang (A) (CHN) 1:36.391 Silver Ko Gi-Hyun (KOR) 1:36.427 Bronze Yang Yang (S) (CHN) 1:42.320 1500 m Women: Medal Athlete Time Gold Ko Gi-Hyun (KOR) 2:31.581 Silver Choi Eun-Kyung (KOR) 2:31.610 Bronze Evgenia Radanova (BUL) 2:31.793 Choi set a new World Record in the semis, but compatriot Ko beat her to win the inaugural Olympic 1500 m. 3,000m Relay Women: Medal Athlete Time Gold South Korea (Choi Min-Kyung, Joo Min-Jin, Park Hye-Won, Choi Eun-Kyung) 4:12.793 Silver China (Yang Yang (A), Yang Yang (S), Wang Chunlu, Sun Dandan) 4:13.236 Bronze Canada (Isabelle Charest, Marie-Eve Drolet, Amelie Goulet-Nadon, Alanna Kraus, Tania Vicent 4:15.738 With this win, Korea defended their title in this event for the third time running.
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