Exactly how quickly can speed skaters travel?
In the speed skating events at these Winter Olympics, records are falling left and right.
At Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval (or “Ice Ribbon”), the first four gold medals won by men and women were all accomplished in Olympic record times.
How Fast do Olympic Speed Skaters Go
Kjeld Nuis and Ireen Wüst won the 1500-meter events for the Netherlands, giving them a clean sweep of the medals, and Irene Schouten extended the Dutch women’s track and field domination in the 3000 metres.
There are still a lot of events left in Beijing, but world champion Nils van der Poel of Sweden earned gold in the men’s 5000m to break that dominance.
Learn everything you want to know about speed skating right here.
The average speed of a speed skater is.
The races range from a quick 500 metres to the gruelling 10 kilometres, so it all depends on the type of competition.
However, Nils van der Poel set new world records in the 5,000m and 10,000m with average speeds of about 30 miles per hour (47 kilometres per hour).
What is the Typical Length of a Track for Speed Skating?
The minimum length for an Olympic speed skating track is 400 metres. It makes no difference whether the opponent is in the inner or outside lane.
The track length for short-track speed skating is typically 111 metres and is set up in a rink roughly the size of an ice hockey rink.