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Due to a lack of 400m ice rinks, ice hockey rinks were already being raced in Canada, England and Scotland around the turn of the century. That was the birth of the short track. Since the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, short track has been one Olympic discipline competed by women and men.
Short track is a discipline of ice skating. The term short track (short track) refers to the only 111.12 meter long oval track (usually on an ice hockey field) compared to the track from classic speed skating with 400 meters.
Characteristic of this sport is the mass start of four to eight (sometimes more) runners who compete directly against each other. In contrast to the related speed skating, the decisive factor is not the time achieved, but only the placement. The first two in each series qualify for the next round.
The mass start and running in the field (so-called pack style) make special demands on the tactical behavior of the runners, the tight curve radii require a significantly different running technique and equipment compared to classic speed skating. In this sport top speeds of up to 55 km/h are reached.
In the short track there are competitions in the all-around, in the relay race and on the individual distances.
The all-around (overall) consists of races over 1500 meters, 500 meters, 1000 meters and 3000 meters, which are held in this order (usually on two to three days).
In the relay race, teams consisting of four runners each run races over 3000 meters (women) or 5000 meters (men). It is constantly changed, the runners who are not in action stay within the 111.12 meter loop.
The distances for the individual routes are 500 m, 1,000 m, 1,500 m.
