Introductory Short Track Officials Seminar
An introductory short track officials seminar will be held at The Beacon Hotel, Sandyford, Dublin 18 on Sunday 3 March from 10am until 2pm. Please email info@isai.ie to register for the seminar.
2018 Review: A Year Of Milestones For Irish Ice Skating
2018 got off to a bright start with Elizabeth Golding claiming gold in the Advanced Novice Ladies event at the FBMA Trophy (Abu Dhabi, UAE) in January. Conor Stakelum took home Senior Men’s silver at the same event. Later on in the month, Stakelum also became the first male skater from Ireland to compete at a European Figure Skating Championships when he took to the ice in Moscow Russia. He finished in 36th place. Sean McAnuff made his debut at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dresden, Germany where he finished 28th overall and thus secured two spots for Ireland in the 2019 championships.
In February, Stakelum set two new national senior records in the short programme (54.77) and total score (158.33).
March saw Sam McAllister become the first Irish skater since Viv Murphy in 2010 to compete at a World Junior Figure Skating Championships when he placed 44th in Sofia Bulgaria. Ryan McAnuff raced to 35th place overall at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal, Canada over St. Patrick’s weekend.
The 2018/2019 season got off to a magnificent start in August when Elizabeth Golding set a new set of Irish Junior records at the Junior Grand Prix in Linz, Austria. At the age of 13, Golding also became the youngest Irish skater to ever participate in the series.
In October, Tara Donoghue broke the Irish women’s 1500 metres speed skating record in Berlin, Germany. Her time of 2:11.76 also qualified her for the Junior World Cup Final and World Junior Speed Skating Championships in February 2019.
Sean McAnuff broke both the 500 metres and 1000 metres senior Irish records at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Calgary, Canada in November. Tara Donoghue smashed her Irish 3000 metres record at the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland by eight seconds to also qualify herself for that distance at the Junior World Cup Final and World Junior Speed Skating Championships in February 2019. Conor Stakelum posted a new set of Irish senior records on his way to a fourth place at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Thanks to everyone who supported Irish ice skating in 2018!
Tara Donoghue Smashes Another Irish Record At Junior World Cup
Tara Donoghue broke new ground this weekend as she participated in her first International Skating Union (ISU) Junior World Cup Speed Skating of this season in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland.
Donoghue began her racing with the 1000 metres where she placed 36th in a time of 1:27.03, just 0.33 outside her personal best.
The Irish skater proceeded to the 3000 metres where she demolished her previous Irish record of 4:46.37 by almost eight seconds. Her clocking of 4:38.55 put her in 15th place for the distance and also earned her the qualifying time for the Junior World Cup Final in February 2019.
Donoghue was back on the ice for the 500 metres earlier today where she put in another solid showing. Her time of 43.46 was only 0.09 seconds outside her personal best and gave her a ranking of 33rd. She made the qualifying time for the 1500 metres in Germany last month.
Her final event of the competition was the Mass Start and she finished 16th overall in a time of 6:10.96.
Detailed results for the competition can be found here.
Tara Donoghue Embarks On Second Junior World Cup Season
In her second season on the International Skating Union (ISU) Junior World Cup Speed Skating circuit, Tara Donoghue (16) will be participating in the series opener this weekend (24-25 November) in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland.
Last season, Donoghue became the first female speed skater and the first long track speed skater to represent Ireland internationally. Last month she broke her own Irish national record in the 1500 metres to secure the qualifying time for the distance at the Junior World Cup Final and the Junior World Championships.
The Irish skater, who is based in the Netherlands, will be aiming to improve on her personal bests over a number of distances during the course of the weekend.
You can follow Donoghue’s progress live via the ISU Skating Channel and via the #JWCSpeed and #SpeedSkating hashtags.
Sean McAnuff Wraps Up Second World Cup
For the second consecutive week, Sean McAnuff participated in a World Cup Short Track Speed Skating competition when he travelled to Salt Lake City in the United States.
McAnuff began the event with the preliminaries of the 1000 metres (1) race where he was drawn in Heat 4 and came fourth in a time of 1:29.067.
Next up were the preliminaries of the 500 metres in which McAnuff was placed in Heat 9. He finished fourth in a time of 43.461.
He was back in action in the 1000 metres (1) repechage quarterfinal where he came fifth with a time of 1:28.962. He was classified 35th overall for the distance.
The final race for McAnuff of the tournament was the 500 metres repechage quarterfinal. He came very close to breaking the Irish national record that he set last weekend clocking 42.401 and finishing in third in Heat 2. His distance classification was 32nd.
“There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend,” McAnuff said. “In particular, in my final 500 metre race I set a new record for my fastest lap time ever.”
Sean McAnuff In Second World Cup At Salt Lake City
For the second week in a row, Sean McAnuff will compete at an International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating event this weekend (9-11 November) when he races at the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, United States of America.
The Irish short track speed skater is coming off the back of setting two new national records in Calgary, Canada last week over the 500 and 1000 metres in what was his season opener. He will step on to the ice for the preliminary rounds on Friday 9 November with racing opportunities also over the course of the following two days.
“I am feeling really positive for this World Cup after setting those new Irish records in Calgary,” McAnuff said. “I hope to have an even better set of races this weekend.”
You can follow the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating live on the ISU’s YouTube and Skating channels, the results page and on social media using the #WCShortTrack #ShortTrackSkating and #OneHandDown hashtags.
Sean McAnuff Breaks Two Irish Records At Calgary World Cup
Irish short track speed skater Sean McAnuff broke two national records at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup in Calgary, Canada over the weekend.
McAnuff began his season debut by knocking half a second off his personal best in the 500 metres preliminary rounds in a time of 42.833. In the repechage quarterfinals the following day, he further lowered that time to 42.191, a new Irish senior record. He placed 39th overall for the distance.
In the 1000 metres, he posted a time of 1:29.154 in his prelimary round race. He was significantly quicker in the repechage quarterfinals and smashed his personal best by one and a half seconds and the Irish record by one whole second in a time of 1:26.718. He was ranked 32nd overall.
“I have gained a lot of confidence from this event,” McAnuff said. “I believe I have to advance further, achieve more competitive times and learn from each race I am in.”
Sean McAnuff To Open Season At Calgary World Cup
Sean McAnuff (21) will make his season debut as Ireland’s sole representative at this weekend’s International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Calgary, Canada (2-4 November).
In January, McAnuff finished 28th at the European Championships in Dresden, Germany to earn two berths for the 2019 edition in Dordrecht, Netherlands. This season he will be aiming to build on his performance and move up the global standings.
“I am really looking forward to the season ahead,” he said. “I will try to give it my all in each race and hopefully the results will go my way.”
The weekend’s event in Calgary will be the first of five World Cup events across three continents. McAnuff will compete in three individual distances – the 500 metres, the 1000 metres and the 1500 metres.
The event will be live streamed on the ISU Skating Channel (geo blocking may apply in certain territories) and for the first time ever, live streams will be available in certain territories on social media platforms, follow us on social media to find out more.
For further information on Short Track Speed Skating, visit https://www.isu.org/short-track.
Tara Donoghue Breaks Irish Record At Berlin International Race
Irish speed skater Tara Donoghue (16) wrote herself into the history books once more when she set a new Irish record in the International Race in Berlin, Germany over the weekend.
Donoghue competed in two distances at the competition held at the Eisschelllaufhalle Sportforum in the German capital. She raced a season’s best of 44.18 for the 500 metres to finish fifth, but it was in the 1500 metres where she set a new Irish record of 2:11.76 to come second. The latter time also put her under the qualifying time necessary for the distance at the Junior World Cup Final and the Junior World Speed Skating Championships.
Donoghue, who is based in the Netherlands, now has her sights set on obtaining the qualifying time for the 1000 metres. She will compete again at the ISU Junior World Cup in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland.
2018-2019 Irish Speed Skating Team Announced
The selection of the Irish Speed Skating National Team for the 2018-2019 season has been made by the Board of Directors of the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI).
The ISAI has selected the following members to compete in International Skating Union (ISU) speed skating events for the 2018-2019 season:
Speed Skating
Tara Donoghue
Short Track Speed Skating
Ryan McAnuff
Sean McAnuff
Tara Donoghue made history last season by becoming the first long track and first female speed skater to represent Ireland in international competition. She made her debut for Ireland in November 2017 at the Junior World Cup in Inzell, Germany.
Ryan McAnuff participated at World Short Track Speed Skating Championships last season for the second time. He finished 35th overall at the event.
Sean McAnuff appeared at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in January 2018 for the first time. By finishing 28th, he secured two spots for Ireland at the 2019 edition.