Steele Set For Long Track International Debut At European Youth Countrymatch

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This weekend Thomas Steele (Co. Dublin) competes in his first international competition representing Ireland in long track speed skating.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Steele began skating at a young age just like many of his peers in a country where speed skating is one of the highest profile sports. He cites Dutchman Sven Kramer, a four-time Olympic gold medallist, as an inspiration. Ice is also in his genes with his father Gary from Canada, another country with a long and proud tradition in ice sports, and his mother Susan hailing from Dublin where she learned to skate at Dolphin’s Barn ice rink, a facility that those who grew up locally recall with great fondness.

Steele started training seriously two years ago from the age of 13 with Brenda, Annewil and Rodger from the DKIJV at De Uithof in The Hague to which he commutes from his home city of Delft three days a week for on ice practices.

“On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I train for an hour and 15 minutes on ice, and I also cycle for 30 minutes before and after those training sessions. Sometimes I also do an hour and 30 minutes of cycling training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though not usually.”

He has gradually seen his times improve to the point where he was selected to the Irish national team this season. This week he will participate in the European Youth Countrymatch, an international event organised at the ISU Centre of Excellence in Heerenveen, The Netherlands in the renowned Thialf ice stadium, which just so happens to be Steele’s favourite track. The event is open to Junior C and Junior B category skaters of European ISU members by invitation only. There will be a mandatory three-day camp in advance of the competition. All racing will take place on Saturday, 20 December. Steele is looking forward to improving his best times and flying the flag for Ireland on an international stage.

“For me, it is a great honour to be allowed to participate in big international competitions representing Ireland.”

Steele is still young in a sport where most athletes reach their prime in their mid to late twenties. His goal this week will be to learn and pick up some tips to aid his development as an athlete and as all speed skaters want to do go as fast as he can in his races. Over the next few seasons, he is aiming to progress to the standards required for entry into the ISU Junior World Cups by refining the technical skills required of elite speed skaters.

“Speed skating technique is quite complicated and takes years to master. There are three different movements: the start, the straightaways and the corners. The start is the simplest: it is similar to running, but the straightaways and the corners are very complicated movements and take a lot of time to learn properly. I think that the hardest part and most important is to not only be able to perform the movements, but also to be able to find pressure in your push.”

Right at the moment, Steele is at the beginning of discovering his potential in the sport and is enjoying the process and the incremental achievements that is bringing him.

“The best thing for me is the feeling of going fast, and how it feels to become faster. Small changes in technique can often make huge differences, and it feels amazing when all of a sudden you can make a lot of speed by changing a small detail.”

You can keep up to date with how Steele gets on at the European Youth Countrymatch here on the Ice Skating Association of Ireland’s website and social media channels.

Judge 22nd At Golden Spin of Zagreb

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Dillon Judge has finished 22nd in the Senior Men’s event at the ISU Challenger Series Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia this weekend.

Judge opened his short programme with a clean triple Lutz-double toe loop combination. He stepped out of a double Axel and received Level 2 for a flying camel spin. He then hung on to the landing of a triple Salchow. He concluded with a Level 3 change foot combination spin, a Level 1 step sequence and a Level 4 change foot sit spin. He scored 47.91 points and was in 22nd place overnight.

The two-time Irish champion was back this evening for the free skating. He began with a double flip and then landed triple Lutz-double toe loop combination. He then attempted a triple Lutz and followed with  a Level 2 change foot sit spin and a rotated triple toe loop. Next came a Level 2 flying camel spin before he nailed a triple Salchow. He fell out of another triple Salchow subsequently. He wound up his routine with a Level 3 step sequence and a Level 2 change foot combination spin. He posted a score of 80.40 points for the free which gave him a total of 128.31 points.

Soucisse And Firus Eighth At Tallinn Trophy

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Co. Wexford) have secured an eighth place finish at this weekend’s Tallinn Trophy.

The three-time Irish champions began the event at the Tondiraba Ice Hall with their New Kids On The Block rhythm dance. Their sequential twizzles were graded Level 3 for Soucisse and Level 4 for Firus. Their pattern type step sequence was called Level 1. A minor wobble by Soucisse during the midline step sequence saw her receive Level 1 for the element as opposed to the Level 2 for Firus. They rounded things out with a Level 4 rotational lift and a choreographic rhythm sequence. They scored 64.56 points for eighth place at the midway stage of the competition.

This afternoon Soucisse and Firus skated their “Riverdance” free dance. They started with a Level 4 dance spin from which they moved seamlessly into a choreographic sliding movement. Their one foot turns earned them a Level 2, while Soucisse received Level 4 for her synchronised twizzles with Firus awarded Level 2. Their straight line and rotational lifts were each a Level 4. Soucisse was judged to be  Level 1 for their serpentine step sequence and Firus Level 2. They completed the routine with a Level 4 stationary lift and two choreographic elements. A score of 102.99 points left them with a total of 167.55 points.

Judge Seventh At Bosphorus Cup

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Dillon Judge has come seventh in the Senior Men’s event at the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Türkiye this weekend.

Judge opened his short programme with a clean triple Lutz-double toe loop combination. He fell on a triple flip and received Level 1 for a flying camel spin. He then had another fall on a double Axel. He ended with a Level 2 change foot combination spin, a Level 1 step sequence and a Level 3 change foot sit spin. He scored 45.29 points and was in eighth place overnight.

The two-time Irish champion was back out on the ice earlier today for the free skating. He began by falling on a triple flip and then doubled a planned triple Lutz. He then fell on a triple Lutz before executing a Level 3 change foot sit spin and cleanly landed a triple toe loop. He followed with a Level 1 flying camel spin and fell on a triple Salchow-double toe loop combination. He recorded another fall on a double Salchow-single Axel-double Axel sequence. He completed his routine with a Level 1 step sequence and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He posted a score of 63.11 points for the free which gave him a total of 108.40 points.

Irish Wolfhounds Wrap Up World Tour In Dordrecht

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Sean McAnuff (Co. Armagh) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) have concluded the 2025/2026 ISU Short Track World Tour at the final event in Dordrect, The Netherlands this weekend.

The Irish Wolfhounds took on the opening rounds of the 1500 and 500 metres on Day One. McAnuff was first on the ice in Heat 5 of the 1500 metre heats. The race began sedately and picked up midway with McAnuff taking the lead with seven laps remaining. He held that position for a couple of laps, but when the pace intensified he dropped back ultimately finishing in fifth with a time 2:28.489. O’Brien was next up in Heat 7. He hovered around second place for the opening laps and when the race got going with seven laps to go he was bumped off course after coming into contact with another skater. He came home in a time of 2:28.335 for sixth place.

Next up on the agenda were the 500 metre preliminaries. O’Brien was drawn in Heat 11 where he started third from the inside. He maintained that placement until the final lap where he was passed taking fourth place in a time of 42.464. McAnuff lined up in Heat 14. Coming to the close of third last lap. he was in second when lost his footing and slid off the track. He ranked fourth in the heat with no time recorded. The Wolfhounds returned later in the day for 500 metre repechage heats. In Heat 2 McAnuff was always playing catch up with an outside lane draw and finished fourth in a time of 42.362. Heat 8 was incident packed with O’Brien taking advantage to claim third place with a time of 43.345.

The second day of competition saw the focus on the 1000 metres. In Heat 5 of the preliminaries, O’Brien began positively before losing speed due to contact with other skaters. A crash ahead of him on the final lap saw him take second place in a time of 1:32.028. Heat 7 had to be recalled for a restart. Once under way McAnuff fought hard to keep in touch with the leaders and moved up into second on the final lap to end with a time of 1:29.746. McAnuff was back for Heat 5 of the repechage heats picking up fourth place in a time of 1:28.637. O’Brien drew Heat 10 and finished fourth as well with a time of 1:29.984.

The Wolfhounds returned on the third morning of the event for the 1500 metre repechage quarterfinals. With ten laps to go in Heat 5, O’Brien was taken out in a three skater pile up causing the referee to start the race again. Unfortunately, it was not second time lucky for O’Brien who fell again with ten laps remaining in the rerun bringing his World Tour campaign to an end with a sixth place and a time of 2:50.446. It was a leisurely opening to Heat 7 which featured McAnuff who eventually finished in sixth with a time of 2:36.363.

Photo: Champions Ice Skating

Final Chance For Irish Wolfhounds At Dordrecht World Tour

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Sean McAnuff (Co. Armagh) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) take on the final ISU Short Track World Tour of the season in Dordrecht, The Netherlands (27-30 November) and will need a supreme effort if they are to secure any quota places for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games.

The Irish Wolfhounds are currently short of the mark in all three distances with their best ranking being 50th in the 500 metres (Top 32 required), 43rd in the 1000 metres (Top 32 required) and 60th in the 1500 metres (Top 36 required). Progression beyond the qualification and repechage sessions will be key.

The ISU Short Track World Tour can be followed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel and via the #ShortTrackWorldTour and #ShortTrackSkating hashtags on social media.

Competition Schedule (Dordrecht, The Netherlands)

Thursday, 27 November – Qualification Rounds

Friday, 28 November – Qualification Rounds

Saturday, 29 November – 500m/1500m

Sunday, 30 November – 1000m

Irish Wolfhounds Complete Third World Tour

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Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) have completed the penultimate leg of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Gdansk, Poland this weekend.

The Irish Wolfhounds embarked on the opening day with qualification rounds in the 1500 and 500 metre distances. First up in Heat 4 of the 1500 Heats was O’Brien. An early take off from another skater during the second lap saw the pace increase rapidly and the race was attritional with O’Brien eventually crossing the line in fifth with a time of 2:23.577. In Heat 8 McAnuff took the lead from the start until things picked up with eight laps to go. He came home third in a time of 2:30.080.

The 500 metre Preliminaries were next on the agenda for Team Ireland. O’Brien got tailed off right at the start of Heat 8 and never got back into the race finishing fifth with a time of 43.326. McAnuff was immediately on the ice after in Heat 9 and he was in second place all most of the race before being edged out on the final lap to come third in a time of 42.953.

Later on McAnuff and O’Brien returned for the 500 metre Repechage Heats. O’Brien was drawn in starting position four of Heat 3 and maintained that place from gun to the finish in a time of 43.089. McAnuff appeared in Heat 10 and errors by others enabled him to rise up into second place on Lap 3 and hold until the end. Unfortunately, his time of 43.716 was not enough to advance any further.

McAnuff and O’Brien concentrated on the 1000 metres on the second day of competition. The Preliminaries were first on the agenda. O’Brien raced in Heat 3 and finished in fourth place with a time of 1:29.305. McAnuff was right up after in Heat 4 and the race was a leisurely affair until midway through when the pace began to pick up. McAnuff managed to keep in touch with the leaders until the penultimate lap when he was dropped and finished third in a time of 1:31.547.

Both Irish Wolfhounds were drawn in Heat 4 of the 1000 metre Repechage Heats. The race was eventful to say the least. With just over three laps remaining McAnuff was vying for the lead when his blade clashed with the skater in front of him and they both crashed out. O’Brien managed to stay out of the way and finished in fourth with a time of 1:29.024. McAnuff got back up and took sixth place in a time of 1:56.092. He was subsequently advanced to the Repechage Quarterfinals.

On the third day of the event O’Brien and McAnuff faced the 1500 metre Repechage Quarterfinals. O’Brien lined up in Heat 7 and placed third with a time of 2:28.859. McAnuff took on Heat 8 and finished fifth in a time of 2:25.386.

McAnuff was the last Irish Wolfhound standing on the final day of the event for the 1000 metre Repechage Quarterfinals. He raced in Heat 4 and concluded this World Tour stop with a sixth place with a time of 1:29.945.

Soucisse and Firus 10th At Warsaw Cup

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Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus (Co. Wexford) have finished in 10th place in the Warsaw Cup ice dance event earlier this evening.

The three-time Irish champions began the competition in Poland’s capital yesterday with their New Kids On The Block rhythm dance. They put down Level 3 sequential twizzles and a Level 2 pattern type step sequence to get themselves under way. Their midline step sequence was graded Level 2 and they closed out with a Level 4 rotational lift and an engaging choreographic rhythm sequence. They earned a new season best score of 68.46 points to put themselves in eighth place overnight.

This evening Soucisse and Firus performed in the free dance to a selection of music from “Riverdance” by Bill Whelan. They commenced with a Level 4 dance spin which flowed into a choreographic sliding movement. Their one foot turns were both credited with a Level 1, while Soucisse garnered Level 4 for her synchronised twizzles with Firus getting Level 2. Their combination of straight line and rotational lifts came in at Level 4 for both elements while Soucisse was awarded Level 1 for their serpentine step sequence and Firus Level 2. They wound the routine up with a Level 4 stationary lift and two choreographic movements. They picked up an ISU season best score of 103.45 points and a total of 171.91 points.

Irish Wolfhounds Embark On World Tour European Leg

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After two weekends of racing in Montreal, Canada last month, Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) are in Europe for the next and final two ISU Short Track World Tour events of the season. First stop for the Irish Wolfhounds is Gdansk, Poland (20-23 November).

This weekend will be crucial for the Irish short track speed skaters as they seek to earn quota places for the Milano Cortina Olympic Games and will be looking for some big performances to boost their rankings and move to within striking distance for those coveted spots in Italy next February. They will race against the best athletes on the planet over the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances.

“We didn’t get the result we were after during World Tours 1 and 2, but we are aware of what needs to be done,” O’Brien said. “I hope to build on the race experience and work towards Olympic qualification.”

“As I skate into the final two Olympic qualifying competitions, my goal is clear: secure Ireland a spot for the 2026 Olympics while celebrating the athletes skating alongside me,” McAnuff said. “Some of my strongest performances and boldest breakthroughs have come from battling it out on the ice and then reflecting on how each race sharpens my skills and refines my strategy and execution. Thus far this journey has been very demanding, but I’m choosing to skate with enjoyment and compete with purpose. My strength, resilience, and peace can’t just come from results – I strive to maintain greater perspective and purpose that drives my desire to succeed.”

The ISU Short Track World Tour can be followed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel and via the #ShortTrackWorldTour and #ShortTrackSkating hashtags on social media.

Competition Schedule (Gdansk, Poland)

Thursday, 20 November – Qualification Rounds

Friday, 21 November – Qualification Rounds

Saturday, 22 November – 500m/1500m

Sunday, 23 November – 1000m

Judge 8th At Cup of Innsbruck

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Dillon Judge has come eighth in the Senior Men’s event at the Cup of Innsbruck in Innsbruck, Austria this weekend.

Judge had a better showing in his short programme compared to last week’s Denkova-Staviski Cup. He overrotated a triple Lutz, but was able to tack on a double toe loop to make the combination count. He struggled with the landing of a triple flip. He earned positive grade of execution on a Level 2 flying camel spin, but then stumbled out of a double Axel. He ended with a Level 2 change foot combination spin, a Level 1 step sequence and a scheduled change foot sit spin, the latter of which received no value due to not meeting the requirements. He scored 41.45 points and was in seventh place overnight.

The two-time Irish champion was back out on the ice at the TIWAG Arena for the free skating. He began by doubling a planned triple flip and then eked out a triple Lutz. He then tried a double Lutz-double Axel-double Axel sequence falling on the third jump. He got through a Level 3 change foot sit spin and hung on to the landing of a triple toe loop. He followed with a Level 2 flying camel spin and showed resilence by nailing a triple Salchow. He completed his routine with a Level 2 step sequence and a Level 2 change foot combination spin. He posted a score of 78.68 points for the free which gave him a total of 120.13 points.