Skating

Speed ​​skating is one of the oldest sports. The earliest mention of the word "horse" can be found in the "English-Dutch Dictionary" Gemakha (1648). The most ancient skates discovered by archaeologists belonged to the Cimmerians - a nomadic tribe who lived 3200 years ago in the northern Black Sea region .

The first officially recorded competitions were held in the UK in January 1763 . The competition was won by Mr Lamb, who ran 15 miles in 46 minutes. As a sport, speed skating was developed in the second half of the XIX century. In 1742 ^[1] , the world's first speed skating club was created in Edinburgh , and in 1830 such clubs appeared in London and Glasgow , in 1849 - in Philadelphia , in 1863 - in New York , in 1864 - Trondheim and Petersburg . In 1879, a national speed skating federation was established in England ^[1] . England was the first in the world to organize a national championship held on December 8, 1879 .

In 1889, the first skating world championship was held in Amsterdam , the Netherlands . The winner was Russian Alexander Panshin . Three years later, the International Skating Union (ISU) was founded, which currently unites more than 60 national federations. The ISU announced the 1889 professional competition and held the first official men's world championship in Amsterdam in 1893. In the same year, the first official European Championships took place. The first official world champion is the Dutchman Eden , and the champion of Europe is the Swede Eriksson . In 1901 in Stockholm, Franz Vaten from Finland, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire , became the world champion, and the Russian championship Nikolai Strunnikov defeated the world championships of 1910 and 1911 and the European championships of 1910 .

Records in skating began to register since 1890 .

Women's World Championships have been held since 1936, and European Championships since 1970. Also since 1970, world sprint championships were held (according to the results of the races of 500 and 1000 m).

Since 1996, world championships have been held at individual distances . The World Cup , which first appeared in the 1985/86 season, also takes place. At the 2003 World Cup for the first time appeared team pursuit.

In the program of the Winter Olympic Games, speed skating for men was included from the very beginning, since 1924, and since 1960 women’s competitions have been held. The championship was played at four distances - 500, 1500, 5000, 10000 m and in all-round. In 1928, there were no competitions at a distance of 10,000 m, there was no offset in the amount of all-around events. The modern program of the Winter Olympic Games includes the passage of short - 500, 1000 (for men since 1976), and 1500 m, and long - 3000, 5000 (for women since 1988), and 10,000 m of distances. Competitors run in pairs - one on the outside, the other - on the inside lanes. At each distance from the national team can compete 3 athletes. Until 1972, at a distance of 500 and 1500 m, 4 athletes could compete with men. Absolute primacy in all-around is not played. Only in 1924, the Olympic champion was determined by the amount of seats occupied at four distances.

In 1967, the ISU received a short track under its auspices, although it did not organize international competitions until 1976 . World Short Track Championships have been held since 1981 . Since 1997, held the European Championships . At the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, short track was a spectacular sport. Beginning with the 1992 Olympics, short track entered the program of the Olympic Games. At the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, 8 sets of medals were played on the short track (12 in speed skating).

The great development of speed skating occurred with the introduction of skating rinks with an artificial track. The first championship on the ice of artificial frost was the European Championship in 1959 in Gothenburg ^[2] . And in 1960, the first Olympic Games on artificial ice were held in Squaw Valley.

In 1985–86, the first fully covered speed skating rinks appeared - one in Berlin , the second in Heerenveen . The world championship in the classic all-around 1987 was the first that was held under the roof. And in 1988 the competition at the Olympics in Calgary also took place on an indoor rink. The first Russian artificial speed skating track under the roof was opened in the Krylatskoe ice palace , in Moscow, in September 2004.

The equipment of athletes has also changed - new suits have been applied, in 1997 a new type of skates appeared - clap skateboards . This allowed to increase the running speed.

Classical ice skating competitions are held in the following formats:

- All-around ( eng. Allround );

- at separate distances, including the team pursuit.

All-around oldest of the formats. Athletes compete in four distances, the amount of which is determined by the winner. There are three types of all-around: sprint - 500 m +1000 m + 500 m +1000 m; small - 500 m + 1500 m + 1000 m + 3000 m and classic - 500 m + 5000 m + 1500 m + 10000 m (for women, the distance of 10,000 meters is replaced by 3000 meters). For each race points are awarded - for each second of the time of passing 500 m, 1,000 points are given. The time at other distances is divided by the number by which the given distance is longer than 500 m, and the resulting number is added to the sum of points obtained from previous distances. The winner is the skater with the lowest amount. Championships and championships of the world, Europe and individual states in sprint and classic all-around events are held.

Competitions at individual distances are held at the World Championships at individual distances and stages of the World Cup. The races are held at distances of 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m (only for women), 5000 m and 10,000 m (only for men), and a team pursuit race is also held. Since 1996, in order to equalize the chances of athletes, two races have been held on 500 meters. Each skater in one starts on the inner track, in the second - on the outer track. In the team pursuit race from the country, you can put one women's and one men's team. Two teams of three speed skaters take part in the race. They start simultaneously on opposite sides of the rink from the middle of the inner straight line. Women run six laps, men eight. World championships in speed skating at separate distances , the World Cup , national championships , included in the program of the Olympic Games .

Competitions are also held at distances of 100 and 300 m (mostly among children), a mile, in a speed-skating marathon and in a mass start.

Competitions in short track : Athletes compete at distances of 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m and in relay races: for women - 3000 m, for men - 5000 m.

World Championships , European Championships , World Cup , National Championships , also included in the program of the Olympic Games .

The treadmill for speed skating in the classic version is an oval, either 400 or 333.3 meters long. All major competitions are held exclusively on the tracks 400 meters long. The radius of the inner turn is from 25 to 26 meters. The length of each straight and the length of each turn is about 100 meters. ^[3]

The speed skating rink is divided into two tracks - internal and external. One of the lines is transitional. Each athlete at each lap distance is obliged to change the track on the transition line. The exceptions are team races and a mass start where all the athletes run along the inner track.

The treadmill for a short track is usually marked in a regular ice hockey stadium. Turns make the inner radius of 8 m, the distance between the roundings - 28.85 m. The distance - 111.12 m - is obtained by measuring the distance of 0.5 m from the edge. Drive counterclockwise. In short distance competitions, so that the skaters turned on “clean” ice, the track along with the starting line from race to race slightly shifted (the finish line with photo finish equipment is fixed).

In classic skates run in pairs - one athlete is on the outer track, the other on the inside, every lap changes. The races are held counterclockwise. When changing the track, there are situations when athletes are on the transition straight line. In this case, the runner on the inner path must skip the runner on the outer; otherwise, the athlete is disqualified. In the team pursuit, two teams of three speed-skaters start on opposite lines and run the entire distance along the inner track. After a false start, the start is repeated, in the case of a second false start, the athlete who committed it will be disqualified. It is forbidden for athletes to cross the inner curb line and the line dividing the lanes at the finish line; the athlete who violated the rules is disqualified.

In the short track, races are also held counterclockwise, up to six athletes take part in the race. It is forbidden to interfere with or physically help other participants, knock down chips that restrict the track and carry the foot forward at the finish line by tearing off the ridge from the ice.

Skaters in classic running compete in special overalls and run on skates — klah . Allowed to use a helmet that repeats the shape of the head. Aerodynamic helmets and radio equipment are prohibited ^[4] . Skates — claps (born clapskate ), which appeared in the 90s of the XX century, have a blade with a hinge in the front part and a spring-loaded rear part. This allows the blade to move relative to the boot, creating an extra length of repulsion and thereby increasing speed. The name “clap” skates received for a distinctive sound (born clap - cotton), which publishes the blade, when, after the athlete’s push, the spring returns it back to the shoe.

In short track, athletes additionally wear a protective helmet, goggles, gloves, knee pads, neck protection. Skate flaps are prohibited.

The size of the oval blade of the skate ( radius of curvature ) is from 21 to 28 meters ^[5] , in the short track about 11 meters, in addition, the skates for the short track have lateral curvature. Blades are made of high quality carbon steel. It is thinner than the figured and hockey skates - 1.0-1.2 mm. For sharpening skates, a machine is used in which both skates are fixed at the same level with the blades up parallel to each other. The blade surface is first polished with a single stiff bar in order to form a flat edge with a 90 ° angle, after which it is polished with a thinner bar to a mirror state. No burrs, uneven edges, or grooves in the blade are allowed ^[5] , as this leads to an increase in resistance when the skate blade moves along the ice.

The first championships of Russia in 1889 - 1893 were played out at a distance of 3 versts (3180 meters). Held races and finals on 3 sites. Foreign athletes were invited to the Russian championship. In 1894, the distance was 3000 meters. The final with a separate start with an interval of 20 seconds. In 1895 - 1907, the championship was played out at two distances - 1500 and 5000 meters. The races were carried out in pairs. To win the title of champion of Russia it was necessary to win at both distances. In 1907, for the first time in the championship, junior awards were raffled at a distance of 1500 meters. From 1908 to 1914, the championship was held at three distances - 500, 1500 and 5000 meters. To get the title of champion of Russia, it was necessary to win at two distances. Subsequent places were distributed according to the sum of points at distances. All races were held in one day.

In 1913, competitions organized by the Moscow League were called the Russian Speed ​​Skating Championships for women. Women competed at a distance of 500 meters. Victory won Muscovite Elena Kremnechevskaya . She ran a sprint distance of 1.05.0, setting a world record.

In 1915 - 1917 . The championship was played at four distances - 500, 1500, 5000 and 10000 meters. To win, you have to win three distances or score the smallest amount of points-places, provided that you win at one distance.

From 1918 to 1922, the RSFSR championships were held, from 1923 to 1991 - the USSR championships in the classical all-around . In 1971, the first USSR championship in sprint all-around was held.

Soviet skaters first appeared at the start of the VII Winter Olympics in 1956 and won 7 prize medals. Maria Isakova became the first Soviet world champion, she won the World Championship three times in a row, won three Olympic awards. In 1957, at the XV World Championship among women, held in Imatra (Finland), Soviet athletes won 13 out of 15 possible prizes. In the capital of the Olympics-1964 Innsbruck, Lydia Skoblikova won at all four distances, and for 2010 she is the only 6-time Olympic champion in the history of speed skating. The first Soviet Olympic champion in the speed skating marathon was Igor Malkov in Sarajevo (1984) . In 1983, sprinter Pavel Pegov opened a new era of speed skating, setting world records at a distance of 500 meters - 36.57 seconds. and per 1000 m - 1.12,58 sec. on the famous rink Medeo . In 1987, the popular runner Nikolai Gulyaev won all the highest speed skating awards - became the champion of Europe and the world. World and Olympic champions were the athletes V. Muratov , S. Marchuk, B. Stenin , E. Kulikov, I. Zhelezovsky , T. Averina , N. Petruseva .

The first Russian championship in classic all-around after the collapse of the Soviet Union was held in February 1992 in Irkutsk . In the same year the championship was held in sprint all-around . Since 2003, the championship of Russia in speed skating has been held at separate distances .

Since 2004, the Russian speed skating championships have been held on indoor skating rinks in Moscow , Chelyabinsk and Kolomna .

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  On the stamp of Azerbaijan - Olympic champion Calgary and Alberville American Bonnie Blair

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  Speed ​​skater on the stamp of Ukraine

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  Skater on a commemorative coin of the Bank of Russia

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  USSR stamp dedicated to the World Championships in Sverdlovsk 1959

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  USSR stamp dedicated to the World Championships in Sverdlovsk 1959

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  USSR stamp dedicated to the world championship in Moscow 1962

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  USSR stamp dedicated to the European Championship in Medeo 1984

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  USSR stamp dedicated to the world championship in Medeo 1988

• World records in speed skating
• Red Bull Crashed Ice

• Petrov NI. Speed ​​skating: A textbook for the technical schools of physical culture. - 4th, add. and pererabat. - M .: Physical Culture and Sport, 1982. - 222 p. - 22 000 copies

• History, statistics, biographies of great champions, speed skating news
• The history of speed skating on the site of the RIS "Sports Russia"
• Speed ​​skating - article from the Big Olympic Encyclopedia ( M. , 2006)