#ShortTrackWorldTour

The ISU Short Track World Tour, launching on October 25 in Montreal at the Maurice-Richard Arena, Montreal, Canada, introduces a dynamic series that revamps Short Track with bold innovations. 

The Tour features redesigned team identities with custom racing suits and mascots, representing national pride and fostering fan loyalty. Enhanced TV coverage, vibrant venue atmospheres, and immersive entertainment, including DJs, live bands, and light shows, aim to create a more exciting fan experience both in-person and on-screen. 

Reigning Crystal Globe Trophy champions Kim Gilli and Park Ji Won of the Korean White Tigers return this season to defend their titles. The prestigious ISU Crystal Globe will once again be awarded to the top male and female skaters, based on their total points from all ISU Short Track World Tour events.

But this is not all, the winners will also get something unique this season: two collectible helmets specially hand-designed by Dutch skater Itzhak De Laat. These customized helmets will distinguish the reigning Crystal Globe champions on the track.

Itzhak de Laat (NED) © ISU

This season also introduces the new ISU Team Crystal Globe, awarded to the team that accumulates the most points throughout the Tour. Teams like the Canadian Ice Maples, USA Eagles, Chinese Loongs, Korean White Tigers, Dutch Lions, and Italian Gladiators will all compete for this coveted prize.

WOMEN

The women’s battle for the ISU Crystal Globe promises to be closer than ever. Not only are the four contenders who battled it out last term back, but they are joined by a quartet of genuine legends – all returning from breaks and eager to show that they are still the biggest names in the game. 

Last year’s heroes first: Kim Gilli (KOR) won the ISU Crystal Globe last season, dominating the 1500m in particular. The 20-year-old is the complete package: she has the energy and fearlessness of youth allied to the racecraft of a much more experienced competitor, and a classically flawless Korean technique.

Kim Gilli (KOR) at the 2024 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands © ISU

She will also spearhead the charge for the ISU Team Crystal Globe, for which the Korean White Tigers will be favorites, possessing powerful racers in both gender categories.

Kim will start as No.1 but the competitor who finished a whisker behind her, Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA), will be primed for further improvement. The versatile American made confidence-swelling breakthroughs last season: she won the 1000m ISU World Championship title (her first major gong), was ranked No.1 in that event, and won all three individual distances at the Four Continents Short Track Championships. The USA Eagles can soar to victory again.

Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) in action during the 2024 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands © ISU

Xandra Velzeboer (NED) finished third overall. The quicksilver Dutch Lion racer has dominated the 500m for two seasons. Add more consistency in the longer distances, and she can become a true contender for the Crystal Globe: the Dutch Lions will also be strong contenders for the ISU Team Crystal Globe – especially if their men can step up to match the women’s achievements over recent seasons 

Hanne Desmet (BEL), meanwhile, finished fourth, and the two-time European 1000m champion is on an upward curve, improving her tactical acumen and technique.

Four racers, however, will feel like these athletes have been simply keeping the podium warm for them. Suzanne Schulting (NED) is foremost among them – but will miss Montreal due to injury. Look out for the Dutch great later in the season, leading the Dutch Lions again.

Another legend of the sport is back, though: Choi Min Jeong (KOR), the Olympic champion in 1500m at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, has been overall World Champion four times. Possessing a cocktail of speed and technique that has proved inspirational for her teammate Kim, she took last season off to recuperate. Still just 26, Choi has mastered peaking at the right time.

Choi Min Jeong (KOR) in early action at the ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal, Canada © ISU

Kim Boutin (CAN) also starts a full season having stepped away from the sport for part of the 2023/24 campaign. It worked: the Canadian won her first World Championship gold (in the 500m) having previously got silver on six occasions. A fired-up Boutin can beat anyone. 

And while the 34-year-old Italian Gladiator Ariana Fontana (ITA) misses the Montreal edition of the ISU Short Track World Tour, she will have nothing to prove when she competes later in the season. Like Choi, Fontana completed a PyeongChang-Beijing Olympic golden double (being crowned 500m champion at both Games). 

Also vying for glory? Corinne Stoddard (USA) and Shim Suk Hee (KOR) both had very respectable spells that they’ll seek to build upon.

MEN

While the women’s roster has several established greats, the men’s field feels more like a group of excellent racers who can put their name in lights over the next few years. Most likely to get there? Park Ji Won (KOR). He has proven near-unbeatable over the last two seasons, winning back-to-back ISU Crystal Globes.

Park Ji Won (KOR) at the 2024 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands © ISU

With a cool head, raw speed and perfect timing when it comes to making a killer pass, Park has been lethal. His one weakness? Getting too involved in physical battles with his own teammates. It’s one area the Korean White Tigers will have to work hard on this term, especially with the ISU Team Crystal Globe now in play. Stay out of trouble, and he will be the one to beat again, as he eyes a unique three-in-a-row. 

Most likely to take his crown? Last year it was Steven Dubois (CAN). Dubois is unstoppably quick when he gets going and has developed a penchant for risk-taking, which he insists will be the key to finally grasping a big individual title – an Olympic or World Championship gold, or the ISU Crystal Globe – which has so far eluded him. Dubois heads a stacked line up for the Canadian Ice Maples, who can also get in the mix for the ISU Team Crystal Globe – especially if their women can match the exploits of Dubois and co.

Steven Dubois (CAN) looks on at the 2024 ISU World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands © ISU

Liu Shaoang (CHN), meanwhile, is more decorated than Park and Dubois – he has two Olympic golds, and eight World Championship titles. After switching from Hungary to China in 2023, though, should Lui hit his previous form, the versatile racer will be in contention. The same applies to his brother, Liu Shaolin (CHN) – the two come as a unit, on and off the ice, and they spearhead the ISU Team Crystal Globe challenge for the Chinese Loongs.  

William Dandjinou (CAN) ranked third last season, the 23-year-old fulfilling his vast potential by seizing 2024 World Championship gold in the 1000m. He now needs to prove he is not just a one-season wonder – but with a unique, rangy style and bulletproof mental attitude, he has all the tools to do it. 

Several others are likely to contend. Kim Gun Woo (KOR) had a terrific 2023/24, showing the kind of form that helped him top the 1500m classifications in 2018/19. Jordan Pierre-Gilles (CAN) is also stepping up – he won his first individual World Cup golds last season to rank top in the 500m, while Lin Xiaojun (CHN), a previous overall World Champion and Olympic gold medalist, is also showing signs of form.

Pietro Sighel (ITA) and Stijn Desmet (BEL), meanwhile, will quest for their debut Short Track World Tour golds, having impressed at the World and European Championships – and expect a host of new names to get in to the mix: it is the very nature of Short Track, especially at the start of the season.

Pietro Sighel (ITA) at the 2024 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands © ISU

The action runs between Friday 25 and Sunday 27 October. Qualifying takes place on Friday.

The women’s 1000m, men’s 500m, men’s 1500m medals and women’s 3000m relay take place on Saturday.

The women’s 500m, women’s 1500m, men’s 1000m, mixed team relay and men’s 5000m relay taking place on Sunday. 

About the ISU Short Track World Tour: Feel the Rush!

The ISU Short Track World Tour is a global series of six elite Short Track ice skating events, spanning across North America, Asia and Europe. With a focus on engaging fans in a brand-new dynamic and entertaining event experience through vibrant competitions, the ISU Short Track World Tour aims to elevate the sport and bring its explosive excitement to a worldwide audience.

With each race, skaters aim for the ultimate prize — the Crystal Globe—awarded to the top male and female skater who accumulate the most points throughout the Short Track World Tour. This is where the world’s best Short Track skaters meet to thrill audiences and Feel the Rush!