Luck Not On O’Brien’s Side At Beijing World Cup

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It was a case of what might have been for Liam O’Brien at this weekend’s ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Beijing, China as a crucial call did not go his way.

O’Brien began his racing in Heat 1 of the 1500 metres quarterfinals on the opening day of competition. He was contending from the get go and was in the lead with three laps to go when two skaters made their move to go ahead of him. Unfortunately, there was contact and O’Brien crashed out. In the referee’s video review, the Irish skater was deemed to not have given space at the end of the straight and was penalised. He would take no further part in the distance.

Next up for O’Brien was Heat 7 of the 500m (2) Heats. It was a quick race from the off and, even though he finished fifth, his time of 42.253 was a mere four one-hundredths of a second shy of his personal best.

On the final day of the event, O’Brien lined up for the 500m (2) Repechage Quarterfinals. He was drawn in Heat 1 and came home in a time of 43.566 to wrap up his racing in Beijing.

“I’m happy with my progress from World Cups 1 and 2,” O’Brien said. “I felt much more competitive in the 1500 and I thought I was unlucky to receive a penalty. The focus shifts to improving once again in Seoul.”

O’Brien Ready For Beijing World Cup

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Short track speed skater Liam O’Brien is ready to race again as he lines up for ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Beijing, China this weekend (8-10 December).

This will be O’Brien’s third World Cup of the season after his two outings in Montreal, Canada in October. He came away from those competitions with a new Irish record over 1000m and is aiming to go even quicker inside the Capital Indoor Stadium. He will be racing in the 500m (2) and 1500m events.

It’s good to be back at the Olympic venue here in Beijing, China,” O’Brien said. “After the first training session, the ice feels amazing and the venue is great. I’m looking forward to some constructive racing and fast times!”

Each World Cup features races over the 500m, 1000m and 1500m distances with Day 1 solely assigned for qualification rounds. Day 2 and Day 3 combine subsequent qualification rounds and World Cup sessions. Further World Cups will take place in Republic of Korea, Germany and Poland later this season. In Ireland, the action can be viewed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel and followed on social media via the #ShortTrackSkating hashtag.

O’Brien Awarded Milano Cortina Scholarship

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Short track speed skater Liam O’Brien has been announced as one of just eight Irish athletes to receive a Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Scholarship.

The scholarship is provided through the auspices of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Solidarity programme with the funding designed to off financial support to athletes who are targeting qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

“I am proud to be one of the eight Team Ireland winter athletes awarded the IOC scholarship,” O’Brien said. “This support helps me strive toward my goal in becoming Ireland’s first short track speed skating representative at the Olympics Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026.”

“Liam was so close to achieving Olympic qualification for Beijing 2022 and he cruelly missed out by just one place,” ISAI President Seán Gillis. “He has turned that disappointment into motivation for Milano Cortina and this scholarship will enable to him to cross the finishing line this time and realise his dreams.”

Olympic Federation of Ireland Press Release

Annual General Meeting 2023

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 29 November 2023 in person in Dublin. Current members will have received a notice via e-mail with the AGM Agenda attached.

O’Brien Wraps Up Montreal World Cups

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Liam O’Brien has concluded his second consecutive weekend of racing at the ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Montreal, Canada.

As usual, the opening day of competition consisted of the qualification rounds. This weekend’s agenda for O’Brien included the 1500m (1) and 1000m distances. He was drawn in Heat of the 1500m (1) quarterfinals where he finished in 4th place with a time of 2:20.396. Shortly afterwards he was back racing in the 1000m preliminaries Heat 2 placing fifth in a time of 1:26.218 which represents a new Irish record.

O’Brien returned on Day Two for the 1500m (1) repechage quarterfinals. In a tough Heat 1, he ended up crossing the line in 5th place with a time of 2:28.816. His final classification for the distance was 40th as he rounded up his racing for the second day of competition.

O’Brien saved the best for last. In Heat 4 of the 1000m repechage quarterfinals, he was right in the thick the action when he was impeded by another skater. Although he only finished third in a time of 1:32.784 and outside of automatic qualification, he was advanced to the repechage semifinals after a review of the incident. He was assigned to Heat 1 of the repechage semifinals where he once more found himself infringed upon by a fellow competitor. Due to these circumstances, he was advanced to the World Cup session in the afternoon despite finishing his heat in fourth with a time of 1:35.138.

O’Brien drew Heat 1 of the 1000m quarterfinals and it turned out to be the quickest of the day. He raced hard to the end and wound up in fifth place in a time of 1:26.715. He finished in 18th place in the overall classification for the distance.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to capitalise on Day 1 of the World Cup and had to work my way through the repechage again,” O’Brien said. “Luck didn’t go my way in the 1500, but was happy I fought through the 1000m back into the main event. Also happy with a new PB in the 1000m. I now know the struggles of having to wake up early for the repechage and going forward hope to make it through the first day to get a sleep in before the main event.”

This season’s ISU World Cup moves to Asia with Beijing, China hosting the next stop from 8 December.

O’Brien Up Again For Second Montreal World Cup

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Liam O’Brien will be Ireland’s sole representative this weekend (27-29 October) as Montreal, Canada’s holds the second of back-to-back ISU World Cup Short Track Skating events.

O’Brien opened his season last weekend at the Maurice-Richard Arena where he ranked 46th and 28th respectively in the 1000m (2) and 1500m distances. Having gotten back into racing mode, he will be aiming to better his performances this time round.

“I’m excited to race again this weekend,” O’Brien said. “We’ve reviewed the racing and it’s a great chance to correct mistakes with the conditions being similar. I’m also lucky to have been given an Airbnb grant that allows me to stay close to the rink and enjoy my stay in Montreal!”

Each World Cup features races over the 500m, 1000m and 1500m distances with Day 1 solely assigned for qualification rounds. Day 2 and Day 3 combine subsequent qualification rounds and World Cup sessions. Further World Cups will take place in China, Republic of Korea, Germany and Poland later this season. In Ireland, the action can be viewed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel and followed on social media via the #ShortTrackSkating hashtag.

Short Track Season Kicks Off In Montreal

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Ryan McAnuff and Liam O’Brien got their season under way at this weekend’s ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Montreal, Canada.

They both opened their racing in the 1500m quarterfinals on the first day of competition. O’Brien raced in Heat 5 clocking 2:22.282 in 6th place. McAnuff was up right after in Heat 6 and he also placed 6th in a time 2:26.517.

Next up for McAnuff was Heat 1 of the 500m preliminaries where he finished 5th in a time of 43.490. O’Brien was back out on the ice for Heat 8 the 1000m (2)  heats and posted a time of  1:27.305 to finish 3rd missing out on advancing by one place.

Both skaters were back on Day Two for the 1500m repechage quarterfinals. McAnuff ended up 4th in Heat 3 in a time of 2:27.525. He ranked 41st for the distance. O’Brien was next up in Heat 4 and raced to 3rd clocking 2:21.782 which was good enough to advance to the repechage semifinals in the same session. O’Brien was drawn in Heat 1 and placed 4th in a time of 2:31.394. His ranking for the distance was 28th.

The final day of competition began with Heat 2 of the 500m repechage quarterfinals for McAnuff. He closed his racing at this World Cup with a 5th place finish in a time of 43.871. He placed 47th overall in the distance.

“I really enjoyed racing against the top skaters in the world,” McAnuff said. “As always, it was challenging racing but this provided great learning opportunities. It is a privilege to be here and I am proud of how I did!”

O’Brien lined up in Heat 2 of the 1000m (2) repechage quarterfinals. Unfortunately, he slipped during the race crashing into the barriers. He got back up coming home in 6th with a time of 2:13.757.

“Unfortunately I let the nerves of the first competition of the season get to me and was not aware of what was going on around me during the races on the first day,” O’Brien said. “On the second day in the 1500m repechage I was happy as I showed glimpses of my training results throughout the off season. Going into next week I just need to build on my confidence throughout the training week and not doubt myself when a chance opens up.”

Irish Short Track Team Raring To Go At Montreal World Cup

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The  ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series gets under way this weekend (20-22 October) in Montreal, Canada with Ryan McAnuff and Liam O’Brien representing Team Ireland at the event.McAnuff returns to the World Cup circuit for the first time since 2021. Along with younger brother Sean, he was the first Irish skater to compete at a World Cup event back in 2016. This will be his eighth time suiting up for Ireland at a World Cup. He is the current Irish 1500m record holder.

“I’m looking forward to kicking the season in a familiar place with World Cup 1 in Montreal,” McAnuff said. “I’m expecting some great racing from everyone and I hope to enjoy myself as well!”This is the third consecutive season that O’Brien will compete on the World Cup series. Last season he set an Irish 1000m record in Almaty, Kazakhstan when the World Cup was held there and is excited to get back to racing for the first time in seven months.

“I’ve worked hard on developing my skating and strength over the off season and I’m excited to race to see where I am at now,” O’Brien said. “Ice training has been going smoothly and it should be a strong weekend of racing amongst all skaters”Each World Cup features races over the 500m, 1000m and 1500m distances with Day 1 solely assigned for qualification rounds. Day 2 and Day 3 combine subsequent qualification rounds and World Cup sessions. This weekend’s World Cup is the first of two back-to-back held in Montreal. Further World Cups will take place in China, Republic of Korea, Germany and Poland later this season. In Ireland, the action can be viewed live on the Skating ISU YouTube channel and followed on social media via the #ShortTrackSkating hashtag.

2023/2024 Speed Skating National Team Announced

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Three speed skaters have been named by the Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) to represent Ireland during the 2023/2024 season.

Ryan McAnuff has been a National Team member since 2016 when, along with his brother Sean, they became the first speed skaters to compete for Ireland in international competition. He is a University of Limerick medical school graduate and is currently a resident physician in Hamilton, Canada.

“It is again an honour to represent Ireland for this upcoming short track speed skating season,” Ryan McAnuff said. “I am looking forward to competing alongside my teammates against the fastest skaters in the world. This season I look to continue to be competitive on the global stage as well as continue to enjoy racing, travelling, connecting with fellow racers and representing Ireland.”

This is the eighth consecutive season Sean McAnuff has been selected for the National Team. He made it to the quarterfinals in the 500 metres at the 2023 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Gdansk, Poland and placed 19th in the distance, his best ever result at Europeans. Since December 2020, he has been training in Budapest, Hungary.

“I feel privileged to represent Ireland again this year,” Sean McAnuff said. “It has been a long journey of now eight years representing the country and I am excited to have another year to improve and bring more awareness to the sport in Ireland. This season I have the goal of training smarter and more effectively. I plan to skate new record times and work hard in order to achieve my maximum potential through focusing on technique improvement and racing with confidence!”

Liam O’Brien has been a National Team member since 2019. At the 2023 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships, he advanced to the semi-finals of the 1500 metres for the first time. He also represented Ireland at the 2023 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He currently trains in Seongnam, Republic of Korea.

“As always, I am delighted to be selected and given the chance to represent Ireland,” O’Brien said. “Last season had an unfortunate ending and I have gone away and worked hard to improve my abilities over the off-season. My goals for this season are to not only improve on personal bests, but to gain higher field ranking and to be competitive against the best in the world.

National Team Members (Short Track Speed Skating):

Senior Men – Ryan McAnuff (County Antrim), Sean McAnuff (County Antrim), Liam O’Brien (County Cavan)

You can learn more about our national team members here.

Stephen Judge Appointed ISAI Privacy Officer

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland (ISAI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Judge as ISAI Data Privacy Officer (DPO).

The role of the ISAI’s DPO involves overseeing how the ISAI handles and protects
individuals’ personal information. This position is responsible for ensuring compliance with data
protection laws, particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and maintaining a strong
focus on safeguarding people’s privacy rights.

“I am happy to be coming on board to help the ISAI in this important role,” Judge said. “Having been impressed with the support the volunteers in this organisation provide to skaters, I thought it would be good to get involved and hopefully reduce some of the pressures placed on them. I am looking forward to meeting everyone.”

“The ISAI is thrilled that Stephen has agreed to become the ISAI’s DPO,” ISAI President Seán Gillis said. “Given his professional background and his involvement with volunteering in ice skating, I cannot think of  anyone more suited to the position.”