Will there be any world records set in speed skating at Sochi, referring to long-track? Probably not. How about Olympic records? Maybe, but not a lot, if any. Why is that? Because much more so than athletics (track & field) and swimming, long-track speed skating records are almost entirely dependent on the oval where one is skating.
Speed skating ovals used to always be outdoor rinks, but on 17 November 1986 the first two indoor ovals opened – the Berlin Hohenschönhausen in East Berlin, and the Dutch rink Thialf at Heerenveen. In 1988 the Calgary Winter Olympics had an indoor oval used for speed skating for the first time at the Olympics. In 1992 the Albertville rink was outdoors, once again, but since 1994, when the speed skating events were contested at the Vikingskipet in Hamar (near Lillehammer), all Olympic speed skating ovals have been indoors on artificial ice. The weather was quite poor at Albertville and after the 1992 Winter Olympics, the ISU mandated that Olympic ovals had to be indoors.
Prior to 1986 world records were routinely set at only a few ovals, for various reasons. One is that many of the major competitions were contested there, such as at Davos, Switzerland, or Inzell, West Germany. The other is that certain rinks were renowned for having good ice conditions. The absolute speed factory among outdoor rinks was the Medeo oval at Alma-Ata (now Almaty), Kazakhstan, in the former Soviet Union. Not only was Medeo known for good ice, it was at very high altitude (1,691 m), lessening the wind resistance, and in addition, Medeo was in a valley, and seemed to often have following winds that circled completely around the oval at all-times, making all marks seem wind-aided.
But once indoor rinks came into being, almost all world records have been set there. And further, they have been set primarily in two places – Calgary and Salt Lake City. The reason is two-fold. Both are known for excellent ice, but they are also at altitude, with both over 1,000 metres in elevation – Salt Lake City is slightly higher at 1,288 m to Calgary’s 1,045 m. Since the Salt Lake City oval opened in 2001, many all the world records have been set there.
Let’s look at the numbers, by Olympic event:
Men
500 last 10 WR at Calgary/SLC – 13 of the last 16 since 1988, the last four at SLC
1,000 last 20 WR at Calgary/SLC – 21 of the last 23 since 1988, the last six at SLC
1,500 last 12 WR at Calgary/SLC going back to 1998
5K last 8 WR at Calgary/SLC going back to 1998
10K a bit different with 4 Calgary and 3 Salt Lake City WRs, out of 13 since 1987
Women
500 last 19 WR at Calgary/SLC – 14 at Calgary and 5 at SLC, going back to 1987
1,000 last 14 WR at Calgary/SLC – 10 at Calgary and 4 at SLC, going back to 1987
1,500 9 of 10 WR at Calgary/SLC – 6 at Calgary and 3 at SLC, going back to 1997
3K 10 of 14 WR at Calgary/SLC – 9 at Calgary and 1 at SLC, going back to 1987
5K 7 of 12 WR at Calgary/SLC – 3 at Calgary and last 4 at SLC, going back to 1988
The anomaly in the above was the women’s 1,500 record with Karin Kania-Enke’s mark of 1:59.30 from 22 March 1986 lasting for 11 years – until 29 November 1997. But it was set at Medeo. You can also see that the effect is more pronounced in the shorter races, where the decreased air resistance of altitude is more effective. In the longer races, the oxygen debt takes over.
So what about Sochi? The Adler Arena opened in 2012 and hosted the 2013 Single-Distance World Championships. But Adler Arena is at the Coastal Cluster by the Black Sea, at an altitude of about 65 metres. Any world record set here will be an impressive performance. Here are the Sochi oval records compared to the current world records (as 1 January 2014):
Men
Sochi
500 Jan Smeekens (NED) 34.80
1,000 Denis Kuzin (KAZ) 1:09.14
1,500 Denis Yuskov (RUS) 1:46.32
5K Sven Kramer (NED) 6:14.41
10K Jorrit Bergsma (NED) 12:57.69
World Record Site Year
500 Jeremy Wotherspoon (CAN) 34.03 Salt Lake 2007
1,000 Shani Davis (USA) 1:06.42 Salt Lake 2009
1,500 Shani Davis (USA) 1:41.04 Salt Lake 2009
5K Sven Kramer (NED) 6:03.32 Calgary 2007
10K Sven Kramer (NED) 12:41.69 Salt Lake 2007
Women
Sochi
500 Lee Sang-Hwa (KOR) 37.65
1,000 Olga Fatkulina (RUS) 1:15.44
1,500 Ireen Wüst (NED) 1:55.38
3K Ireen Wüst (NED) 4:02.43
5K Martina Sábliková (CZE) 6:54.31
World Record Site Year
500 Lee Sang-Hwa (KOR) 36.36 Salt Lake 2013
1,000 Brittany Bowe (USA) 1:12.58 Salt Lake 2013
1,500 Cindy Klassen (CAN) 1:51.79 Salt Lake 2005
3K Cindy Klassen (CAN) 3:53.34 Calgary 2006
5K Martina Sábliková (CZE) 6:42.66 Salt Lake 2011
Two things are immediately apparent from that list. The Sochi marks, set at a World Championship, are not close to the world records, in any event, and every current world record has been set at either Calgary or Salt Lake City.
Even comparing the Sochi records to Olympic records, Sochi comes out behind usually.
Men
Sochi
500 Jan Smeekens (NED) 34.80
1,000 Denis Kuzin (KAZ) 1:09.14
1,500 Denis Yuskov (RUS) 1:46.32
5K Sven Kramer (NED) 6:14.41
10K Jorrit Bergsma (NED) 12:57.69
Olympic Record Site Year
500 Casey FitzRandolph (USA) 34.42 Salt Lake 2002
1,000 Gerard van Velde (NED) 1:07.18 Salt Lake 2002
1,500 Derek Parra (USA) 1:43.95 Salt Lake 2002
5K Sven Kramer (NED) 6:14.60 Vancouver 2010
10K Lee Seung-Hun (KOR) 12:58.55 Vancouver 2010
Women
Sochi
500 Lee Sang-Hwa (KOR) 37.65
1,000 Olga Fatkulina (RUS) 1:15.44
1,500 Ireen Wüst (NED) 1:55.38
3K Ireen Wüst (NED) 4:02.43
5K Martina Sábliková (CZE) 6:54.31
Olympic Record Site Year
500 Catriona Le May Doan (CAN) 37.30 Salt Lake 2002
1,000 Chris Witty (USA) 1:13.83 Salt Lake 2002
1,500 Anni Friesinger (GER) 1:54.02 Salt Lake 2002
3K Claudia Pechstein (GER) 3:57.70 Salt Lake 2002
5K Claudia Pechstein (GER) 6:46.91 Salt Lake 2002
So don’t look for too many speed skating records at Sochi. Which ones are vulnerable for Olympic marks? The men’s 10K is at high risk – Sven Kramer skated 12:46.96 earlier in 2013 at Heerenveen (sea level), the second fastest time ever, and then bettered that at the Dutch trials at Heerenveen, with 12:45.08 on 28 December 2013. Lee Sang-Hwa could also better Le May Doan’s 500 mark, and Casey FitzRandolph’s men’s 500 is at risk.