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2006 Torino Olympic preview ... long track speedskating
// U.S. Olympic Committee // October 31, 2005
The United States Speedskating Team is coming off a very successful 2002 Olympic Winter Games at their home oval in Kearns, Utah for long track and Salt Lake City, Utah in short track. The U.S. hopes to carry that momentum into the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.
In long track, Jennifer Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) is back for the women. She was the 2004 1000m World Cup champion, medaled at the 2004 World Singles, is the 2005 World Sprint Champion and won two gold and two silver medals in World Cup action during the 2004-05 season. She suffered a bout of fatigue in the winter of 2004-05, but has continued to skate strong. Chris Witty (West Allis, Wis.) is attempting to make her fifth U.S. Olympic Team (1994, 1998, 2000, 2002) and fourth for the Olympic Winter Games. She is also attempting to medal in her third consecutive Olympic Winter Games. She is skating well and has competed in the 2005 World Sprint Championships, as well as on the World Cup circuit in the 1500m. Catherine Raney (Elm Grove, Wis.) is coming off of a year full of injuries and had surgery on her arm. Despite that, she will skate on the 2005 World Cup circuit in the 500m and 1500m. Elli Ochowicz (Waukesha, Wis.), daughter of speedskating and cycling champion Sheila
Young, competed in the 2005 World Sprint Championships and will skate in the 500m in the 2005 World Cup. Amy Sannes (St. Paul, Minn.) is another to keep an eye on.
On the men’s side, Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas) exploded onto the speedskating scene following an inline skating career in which he won 50 World Championships. Hedrick is the two-time defending World Champion at 5000m, is the world record holder in the long samalog, 3000-meters, and the unofficial world record holder in the 10,000m. Shani Davis (Chicago, Ill.) is also turning heads attempting to be the first U.S. skater to compete in both long track and short track in the same Olympic Winter Games. Davis broke Derek Parra’s world record in the 1500m in 2005 and won gold in the 1500m and silver in the 500m at the 2005 World Allround Championships. Davis won silver in the 2004 World Championships and is the 2005 U.S. Long Track champion. Despite suffering broken and bruised bones in the 2004-05 season, Derek Parra (Orlando, Fla.) continues to skate strong. He was a member of the U.S. World Champion Pursuit Team and competed in the 1000m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m in the World Cup. Joey Cheek (Greensboro, N.C.) underwent knee surgery following the 2003 season, but has made an impressive return to skating. Cheek finished third in the Sprint at the 2005 World Championships. He also won a gold medal in the 500m at one 2005 World Cup. Casey FitzRandolph (Verona, Wis.) enjoyed a brief retirement from the sport in 2003 until the draw of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games brought him back to competing in 2004. Thus far his return has been productive, winning gold and bronze medals in the 1000m on the 2004-05 World Cup circuit. K.C. Boutiette (Tacoma, Wash.) is also back for another Olympic shot.
Making The Team
According to International Skating Union regulations, a country may qualify for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games after skaters have achieved qualifying times set by the ISU for the respective distances. Times will be recognized only if skated at the ISU Championships, Speedskating World Cup competition, international competitions open to all ISU members, regional qualifying events and country matches and national championships. The total number of competitors from any nation may not exceed 10 women and 10 men. For the 500m, 1000m and 1500m, a country may enter a maximum of four competitors for each event, while in the 3000m and 5000m for women, and the 5000m and 10,000m for men, a maximum of three competitors may be entered in each event.
Since Team Pursuit will be new in 2006, the Team Pursuit maximum is eight national teams (men and women). The qualification of teams will be based on the results from the Team Pursuit races at World Cup competitions during the 2005-06 season. The top eight countries from these competitions will qualify; however, the host country (Italy), as well as any country with a team among the three best in one of these competitions, will be given priority in the selection of the eight teams. The schedule and the competition format of the qualification races, as well as the detailed rules for establishing a country ranking, has not yet been announced by the International Skating Union. A country may compose their pursuit teams (three skaters) differently for the various rounds of competition included in the Team Pursuit event, but can only use a maximum of five skaters for the complete set of races.
Up to three skaters in each distance (500m, 1000m and 1500m) can qualify for the U.S. team based on international performance in the 2005 World Championships and the 2005-06 Fall World Cup competition. Remaining spots will be filled based on performance at the U.S. Long Track Championships, December 27-31, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Skaters will qualify for the U.S. team in the women’s 3000m and the men’s 5000m, respectively, based on their 2005-06 World Cup performance. Skaters will qualify to compete in the women’s 5000m/men’s 10,000m, based on their placement in the women’s 3000m/men’s 5000m (top-16) at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games or placement in the top-eight of the 2005-06 World Cup rankings (top-10 if no other U.S. skater qualified for women’s 5000m/men’s 10,000m based on above criteria.)
Top Hopefuls:
Ladies:
Elli Ochowicz (Waukesha, Wis.)
Catherine Raney (Elm Grove, Wis.)
Jennifer Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.)
Amy Sannes (St. Paul, Minn.)
Chris Witty (West Allis, Wis.)
Men:
K.C. Boutiette (Tacoma, Wash.)
Kip Carpenter (Brookfield, Wis.)
Joey Cheek (Greensboro, N.C.)
Shani Davis (Chicago, Ill.)
Casey FitzRandolph (Verona, Wis.)
Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas)
Derek Parra (Orlando, Fla.)
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