There’s the flash of metal blades. The reflections gliding around the glass surface. The tucked figures with arms swimming through the air. The fine mist of ice left as the racers exit the corners.
Those are the sights of one of the sports featured at the first Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France—long-track speed skating. But speed skating appeared in Canada almost a century earlier, with the first recorded race taking place on the St. Lawrence River in 1854. And in 1887, the Amateur Skating Association of Canada—a precursor to Speed Skating Canada—became the country's first sport association.
Canada also had early success internationally, bringing home the World Speed Skating Championship in 1897, but didn’t earn an Olympic medal in the event until the 1932 in Lake Placid, New York. Since then, Speed Skating Canada has totaled 28 Olympic medals—including six golds—in the men and women’s long track competitions.
The sport’s younger, more compact sibling, short track speed skating, was officially granted full medal status in 1992 at the Albertville Winter Games. Speed Skating Canada has dominated the relatively short history of the sport, taking home a total of 20 medals—second only to South Korea.
USANA is proud to help power Speed Skating Canada around the icy track in Vancouver as they try to expand their total of 48 medals.
Event times are spread throughout the 2010 Winter Olympics, so check your local listings for dates and times so you can watch Speed Skating Canada in Vancouver.
