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Short Track Skating Competition showcases athleticism and skill

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As this year’s winter sports came to an end, there was still time to fit in one more event. The 2019 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were held in Sofia, Bulgaria from March 8 to March 10. This year’s competition arguably was one of the most interesting winter sport events of the year, even though it was held in the month of March.

The Speed Skating Championships consisted of multiple events, including the 500 meter, 1,000 meter, 1,500 meter, and 3,000 meter races for both male and female athletes. There were also two relay events, with men competing in the 5000 meter relay and the women in the 3000 meter relay. The first day of the compeition began with the knockout rounds for the 500 meter, 1,000 meter, and the 1,500 meter races, eliminating athletes till there were eight remaining for the 500 and 1,000 meter races and four for the 1,500 meter race.

The next day, the opening ceremony was held in the morning, and the races scheduled for that day followed. The first events of that day were the semi-finals and the finals of the longest race in the competition, the 1500 meter races. Following the 1,500 meter races were the the quarters, semis, and finals for the 500 meter races. On the last day of the competition, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the finals for the 1,000 meter race were held. Afterwards, the super-finals of the 3,000 meter race began, which was soon followed by the 5000 meter relay.

Mens 500:

  • Hwang Dae-Heon (South Korea) got gold
  • Wu DaJing (China) got silver
  • Ren ZiWei (China) got bronze

Womens 500:

  • Lara Van Ruijven (Russia) got gold
  • Fan KeXin (China) got silver
  • Suzanne Schulting (Russia) got bronze

Mens 1000:

  • Lim Hyo-Jun (South Korea) got gold
  • Hwang Dae-Heon (South Korea) got silver
  • Seimoon Elistratov(Russia) got bronze

Womens 1000:

  • Suzanne Schulting (Russia) got gold
  • Choi Min-Jeong (South Korea) got silver
  • Kim Boutin (Canada) got bronze

Mens 1500:

  • Lim Hyo-Jun (South Korea) got gold
  • Samuel Girard (Canada) got silver
  • Lee June-Seo (South Korea)

Womens 1500:

  • Choi Min-Jeong (South Korea) got gold
  • Kim Boutin (Canada) got silver
  • Sofia Prosvirnova (Russia) got bronze

Mens 3000:

  • Lim Hyo-Jun (South Korea) got gold
  • Seimon Elistratov (Russia) got silver
  • Keita Watanabe (Japan) got bronze

Womens 3000:

  • Suzanne Schulting (Russia) got gold
  • Choi Min-Jeong (South Korea) got silver
  • Kim Ji-Yoo (South Korea) got bronze

Mens relay:

  • South Korea got gold
  • China got silver
  • Hungary got bronze

Womens relay:

  • South Korea got gold
  • Russia got silver
  • China got bronze

Though this year’s competition was exhilierating, many are hoping for next year’s events to be even more entertaining. There is much anticipation for the short-track skaters’ performances in future sport events like the 2020 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Featured image- Skaters racing to get gold PHOTO COURTESY OF Lee Sung-Hoon

by Andy Kim