It’s the same but different. The Olympic speed skating season follows the same trajectory as a regular season, but everything evolves around Milano Cortina in February. The five magic rings add pressure to every single race in the run-up, because Olympic qualification is at stake. After the Beijing 2022 Games, a new generation is gearing up for Olympic glory.

Stolz spearheads new generation

The Beijing Olympic Games marked the end of an era. The most decorated Olympic speed skater of all time,  Ireen Wüst (NED), seized her sixth Olympic title and her eleventh Olympic medal, before hanging up her blades after her fifth Olympic Games. Beijing Olympic champions Irene Schouten (NED), Thomas Krol (NED), Nils van der Poel (SWE) and Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR) also retired, leaving the field at Milano Cortina wide open for a new group of youngsters, spearheaded by Jordan Stolz (USA).

Jordan Stolz competes in the men's speed skating 1000m event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Beijing, China © Getty Images

Coming in 13th in the 500m and 14^th in the 1000m at the 2022 Olympics, Stolz quickly conquered the speed skating world in the seasons following Beijing. Still eligible for junior championships, the American phenomenon was the first speed skater in history to win the 500m, 1000m and 1500m at the 2023 World Single Distance Championships in Heerenveen, and he repeated that hattrick in 2024, adding the World Allround title to his list of honors in Inzell (Germany).

Although still going into the Olympic season as top favorite in the three shortest distances, Stolz’ string of victories came to an end at last season’s World Cingle Distance Championships in Hamar. Coming back from pneumonia and strep throat infections, he had to settle for a silver medal in the 500m and bronzes in the 1000m and 1500m.

Dutchman Jenning de Boo won the 500m, 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 peers like Tim Prins (NED) and Cooper McLeod (USA). The latter managed to beat Stolz at the US Championships two weeks ago in Salt Lake City. 

The new generation is more competitive than ever, but Stolz also has to take some veterans into account. Double Olympic 1500m champion Kjeld Nuis (NED) is still going strong, taking his sixth national 1500m title last week.

In the long distances Davide Ghiotto (ITA) has taken over Nils van Poel’s legacy, destroying the 10,000m world record the Swedish Olympic champion set in Beijing. While Van der Poel’s main rival Patrick Roest (NED) is still struggling to come back from a lost season due to injuries, the Italian leads the endurance pack with Sander Eitrem (NOR) and Metoděj Jílek (CZE).

Multi-distance champion Beune

With Wüst and Schouten no longer on the start list, Joy Beune (NED) is the new multi-distance champion from the Netherlands. Winning the World Allround Championships in 2024 and taking World Single distance titles in the 5000m (2024), 1500m and 3000m (2025), the 26-year-old is the woman to beat in all distances longer than 1500m, with Ragne Wiklund (NOR), and Canadians Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann as strong challengers. Together with Valérie Maltais, Blondin and Weidemann will defend their Olympic Team Pursuit title in Milano Cortina, but the Canadians will face tough opponents in World Champions Netherlands and Japan.

Joy Beune reacts after winning gold medal in Women's 3000m race during the ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships 2025 in Hamar, Norway. © ISU

Miho Takagi celebrates winning Women's 1000m race during the ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships 2025 in Hamar, Norway. © ISU

Miho Takagi (JPN) sill anchors the Japanese team. The 31-year-old veteran, who took three silver medals and a gold in Beijing, is also one of the favorites in the induvial 1000m and 1500m. 

Jutta Leerdam competes in the Women's 1000m during the ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships 2025 in Hamar, Norway. © ISU

Two-fold World 1000m champion Jutta Leerdam (NED) aims at the one title she doesn’t have yet in Milano Cortina after her silver medal disappointment behind Takagi in the Beijing 1000m four years ago.

At the Dutch national championships last week, the slightly injured Leerdam was beaten by Femke Kok in the 1000m. Kok has dominated the 500m winning the 2023, 2024 and 2025 World titles, and now seems to be in the mix for a 1000m medal and possibly even a 1500m podium too. She’ll enter the World Cup on top of the season-best list in all three distances, but she will not enter the 1500m World Cup competition. In the women’s 500m, Kok’s strongest challengers will probably be Olympic champion Erin Jackson (USA) and Korean Kim Min Sun (KOR). 

Erin Jackson competes in the Women's Sprint 2nd 1000m at Max Aicher Arena on March 08, 2024 in Inzell, Germany. © ISU

Olympic qualification

The first four World Cups 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 amount of 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.