The world’s best Speed Skaters start on the road to Olympic glory at Milano Cortina 2026 on the fastest ice on earth. The season-opening ISU World Cup in Salt Lake City (USA), taking place from November 14-16, marks the start of the Olympic Qualification series, which comprises the first four ISU World Cup events. The Utah Olympic Oval, this weekend’s World Cup venue, is where all Speed Skating world records in Olympic events were set, with the exception of the 10,000m, which does not feature on the program this time. 

Long distances

The ISU World Cup in Salt Lake City opens with the women’s 3000m and the men’s 5000m. Merel Conijn (NED) recorded the fastest time so far this season in the 3000m (3:58.13) at the Dutch Championships, but she skips the first two World Cup events, in Salt Lake City and Calgary (CAN), to avoid travel fatigue in the run-up to the Dutch Olympic qualification tournament in December. Conijn thus leaves it to compatriots Joy Beune, Marijke Groenewoud, Elisa Dul, Sanne in ’t Hof and Bente Kerkhoff to win enough points for their NOC (National Olympic Committee) to secure the maximum Olympic Qualification quotas in the long distances. 

Marijke Groenewoud (NED) in action at the Utah Olympic Oval in January 2024 during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating event in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU

The Duch contingent face competition from Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, Canadians Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann, and the world 5000m champion Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA), who aims for a golden Olympic farewell to Speed Skating on home ice at Milano Cortina 2026, her fourth Games appearance.

Italy's Davide Ghiotto (main picture) also targets his home Olympic Games. The long-distance specialist is the 10,000m world champion and holds the world record in the distance, which he set in Calgary. And, having set a season’s-best 6:04.52 in the 5000m in Inzell (GER) last month, Ghiotto might be ready to attack the distance’s world record, 6:01.56, which Nils van der Poel (SWE) recorded in Salt Lake City in December 2021. 

Ghiotto is not the only contender in the long distances, however. Metoděj Jílek (CZE) showed his power with a world record in the non-Olympic 3000m (3.32.52) on October 26  in Salt Lake City, and Casey Dawson (USA) set a US national best (3:33.82) at the Beehive Burn on the Utah Olympic Oval last week. In that competition, the American left Ghiotto 1.65s behind.

Italy's Davide Ghiotto after winning the 10,000m world title in March 2025 in Hamar, Norway. © ISU

Stolz and his challengers

After the endurance specialists, it’s time for raw speed in Salt Lake City. On Friday night, the men and women take on the 1000m, and Saturday’s program features the first of two 500m races and the 1500m for both genders.

All eyes are fixed on Jordan Stolz (USA). The 21-year-old dominated the short and middle distances at the World Championships in 2023 and 2024, winning titles in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m at both events. He holds the 1000m world record (1.05.37), which he set in Salt Lake City in January 2024.

At last season’s World Championships in Hamar (NOR), however, Stolz had to settle for silver in the 500m and 1500m, and bronze in the 1000m. Dutchman Jenning de Boo won the shortest distance, while his compatriot Joep Wennemars seized the 1000m title, and Peder Kongshaug (NOR) took the 1500m crown. Apart from these champions, Stolz is also challenged by Tim Prins (NED) and Cooper McLeod (USA). The latter managed to beat Stolz in the first 500m at the US Championships two weeks ago in Salt Lake City.

Stolz has skated this season’s best times so far in the 1000m (1:06.70) and the 1500m (1:42.20), but De Boo is the only skater to have gone under 34s in the 500m so far this season, winning the Dutch national title in 33.98s.

Jordan Stolz (USA) skates in the 5000m during the ISU World Cup Speed Skating at the Utah Olympic Oval in January 2024 in Salt Lake City, USA © ISU

Jackson and Kok

Women’s 500m Olympic champion Erin Jackson (USA) recorded the event’s fastest time so far this season, stopping the clock at 36.86s at the Beehive Burn in Salt Lake City last week. Three-time world champion Femke Kok has not yet raced at high altitude this season, but showed her excellent form with season’s-best times in the 1000m (1.12.87) and 1500m (1.52.69) at the sea-level track in Heerenveen in October.

Miho Takagi (JPN) has not found her groove yet. The Olympic 1000m champion finished second in the 1000m at the Beehive Burn in Salt Lake City last week and sits in seventh place on the 1000m season’s best list.

Han Mei (CHN) is third in the season’s ranking, behind Kok and the surprising Marrit Fledderus (NED), who is a renowned 500m specialist. Kok and Fledderus skated their fast times at the Dutch national championships in Heerenveen, leaving the slightly injured favorite and two-time 1000m world champion Jutta Leerdam behind. Leerdam did qualify for the 1000m World Cup races, however, and will appear this weekend.

Although Kok set the season’s best 1500m time, the sprinter will compete only in the 500m and the 1000m at the World Cup events. world champion Joy Beune (NED) will thus be favorite for the 1500m in Salt Lake City.

Joy Beune (NED) in action in the 1500m during the 2025 ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships in Hamar, Norway © ISU

Spectacle in Team Pursuit and Mass Start 

The final day of the Salt Lake City World Cup features the second 500m and the spectacular Team Pursuit and Mass Start races. In the Team Pursuit, all eyes will be on the USA’s world champions Ethan Cepuran, Emery Lehman and Casey Dawson, who set the world record (3.33.66) in January last year in Salt Lake City.

Japan holds the women’s Team Pursuit world record, set in February 2020 by Ayano Sato, Miho Takagi and Nana Takagi, but Nana retired from Speed Skating in 2022, and last season the Netherlands won the Team Pursuit title. Canada’s Olympic champions Ivanie Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann and Valérie Maltais will also be in the mix.

With its spectacular pack-style format, the Mass Start is anyone’s race, but in the women’s field Marijke Groenewoud and Ivanie Blondin are the favorites, while Olympic champion Bart Swings (BEL) has to deal with the challenge of world champion Andrea Giovannini (ITA).

World champions: Team USA on their way to Team Pursuit gold at the 2025 ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships in Hamar, Norway © ISU

Olympic qualification

The first four ISU World Cups this season serve as Olympic qualification events. Speed skaters will earn quotas for their National Olympic Committees through the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications (SOQCs). Quotas will be allocated based on the SOQC Points ranking (based on points achieved at specific World Cup events) and the SOQC Times ranking (based on the best times per athlete achieved at specific World Cup events).

The maximum quota places per NOC is nine skaters per gender. The quota places are determined by the SOQCs, and allocated to NOCs, not to individual skaters. There’s also a maximum amount of quota places per NOC in each distance at the Olympic Games.

For details on Olympic Qualification, click here

Facts & Figures

• Total number of participating skaters: 325
• Number of countries represented: 32
• Number of times Salt Lake City has hosted the Speed Skating World Cup: 15
• All current world records in Olympic speed skating events were skated in Salt Lake City, except the men’s 10,000m (Calgary)