SHORT TRACK
Velzeboer to go after third Milan medal on last Short Track day
19 Feb 2026
Short Track queens Xandra Velzeboer and Arianna Fontana are aiming for more medals when the fast and the furious take to the ice one more time on the final day of Short Track at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Friday. In the Men’s 5000m Relay, defending Olympic Champions Canada faces the top seeded team of China and more challengers. Competition starts at 20.15 local time at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Velzeboer, Fontana, Sarault with high hopes in the 1500m
The top stars of the Milan Short Track competition have high hopes for the final day in the 1500m.
- Two-time Olympic champion Xandra Velzeboer (NED), pictured top right, would love to add another medal to her collection after her victories in the 500m and 1000m
- Can the legendary Arianna Fontana (ITA), pictured top left, win her 15th Olympic medal? She got silver over this distance four years ago in Beijing.
- Fueled by the gold in the Women’s 3000m Relay, the 2022 Olympic Champion and world record holder in the 1500m, Choi Minjeong (KOR) comes in with a lot of motivation.
- Courtney Sarault (CAN) wants to go for gold after a silver and two bronze medals in Milan.
- Three-time Olympic Champion Suzanne Schulting (NED), who also competes in long track in Milan, contests her only individual Short Track distance.
- Others to watch include top seed Kim Gilli (KOR) and Corinne Stoddard (USA).
Choi Minjeong (KOR) is targeting a medal in Friday's 1500m race © Getty Images
China, Italy, Canada, Korea, Netherlands headline Men’s 5000m Relay
The top Short Track teams are targeting a medal in the Men’s 5000m Relay.
- China is the top seeded team and has Olympic Champion Liu Shaoang, who missed out on a medal in the individual events.
- Defending Olympic Champion Canada features four-time ISU World Champion William Dandjinou and newly minted 500m Olympic Champion Steven Dubois.
- The Korean Men want to repeat the Women’s success in the relay. The Republic of Korea is ranked second in the World standings.
- Italy counts on the home advantage.
- The Netherlands, led by two-time Olympic Champion Jens van 't Wout, did not win a medal in the Mixed Relay and Women’s Relay and will want to make up for that.
China, Canada and Italy will feature in Friday's Men's 5000m final © Getty Images
Quick Facts
- Thirty-six Women representing 15 NOCs compete in the 1500m.
- The top three women from each quarter-final and the three fastest fourth placed athletes qualify for the semi-finals.
- The World record in the 1500m is 2:14.354 (from 2016) and the Olympic record is 2:16.831 (from Beijing 2022), both held by Choi Minjeong (KOR).
- All three 2022 Beijing medalists are back in Milan: Choi Minjeong (gold), Arianna Fontana (silver) and Suzanne Schulting (bronze).
- Eight teams compete in the Men’s 5000m Relay semis. The 1st and 2nd teams in each semifinal qualified for Final A and the 3rd and 4th teams qualified for Final B.
- The World record is 6:28.625 (from 2018) and the Olympic record is 6:31.971 (PyeongChang 2018), both achieved by Hungary.
- The medalist in 2022 were Canada (gold), Republic of Korea (silver) and Italy (bronze).
- Canada has won the Men’s Olympic Relay gold four times (1998, 2002, 2010 and 2022).
- The Republic of Korea has won the Men’s Olympic Relay gold twice (1992 and 2006).
- Italy won this event once in 1994.
