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McAnuff With Lots To Takeaway From Fifth Appearance At Short Track Euros

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Sean McAnuff (27) marked his return to the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships this weekend with a series of races against the best skaters Europe has to offer after missing out due to injury last season.

McAnuff got things under way with the qualification rounds on the opening day of the event. He was drawn in Heat 3 of the 1500m quarterfinals which turned into a swift affair. Despite crossing the line in sixth, he notched up a season best time of 2:18.158. In the 500m heats, he began from the outside in Heat 9 and ultimately finished in 3rd place with a time of 42.635. It was also Heat 9 for him in the 1000m heats where he ended up coming fourth in a time of 1:31.254.

McAnuff faced in the 1500m and 500m repechage rounds on the second day of the championships. In the 1500m repechage quarterfinals, he just missed out on automatic qualification when he came third in Heat 1. However, his time of 2:20.402 was enough to earn him a small q and another go round in the 1500m repechage semifinals. He fought hard in Heat 1 putting in a great effort to come second in a time of 2:23.162. Unfortunately, he just missed out on advancing to the main session and was classified 24th for the distance. Heat 5 of the 500m repechage quarterfinals did not go according to plan as he collided with another athlete and crashed out of the race. He received a penalty for the incident leaving him ranked 43rd for the distance.

On the last day of racing, McAnuff took on the 1000m repechage quarterfinals. In a tightly fought Heat 2, he placed fifth with a time of 1:28.818 bringing his fifth Europeans to a close.

“I am very proud of my 1500m finish this weekend,” McAnuff said. “I raced smart, fought hard, and didn’t give up! I came out with my best overall finish in what is typically my weakest distance. This was the highlight of the weekend for me. I was also able to give my all in the 1000m and 500m, though I wasn’t able to achieve the results I was striving for due to some mistakes in my racing strategy, I was able to take away a good analysis of how I can improve my weaknesses and that is always a big help in future preparations. Now it’s time to get working in anticipation for World Tour 5 and 6!”

McAnuff To Get 2025 Under Way At Short Track Euros

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Sean McAnuff (27) lines up this weekend at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dresden, Germany (17-19 January).

This will be McAnuff’s fifth time competing at Europeans. He had to sit out the entirety of last season due injury, but has been in fine form on his return to competition lowering the 500 metre Irish national record at last month’s ISU Short Track World Tour event in Seoul, South Korea. He will be among a field of over 120 athletes from 25 countries racing for top honours at an event that was first held in 1997. Skaters race against each other over 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances.

“I am pleased to be starting off 2025 at the European Championships,” McAnuff said. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the progress I have made over the last training period since World Tours 3 and 4. My goal is to have a personal best overall finish in each individual distance.”

The ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships will be broadcast on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographical restrictions may apply. The results of the championships can be followed on the event results page and on social media via the #ShortTrackSkating hashtag.

Milestones And Memories Abundant For Irish Ice Skating In 2024

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2024 started with a bang back in January when Ireland was represented at not one, but two European Championships early on in the month. Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus become the first ice dancers to compete on behalf of Ireland in the history the European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. They finished in 13th place, the best ever finish for Irish skaters at the event. In addition, Margery Hilko became the first Irish judge to officiate at a European Figure Skating Championships. She was also a judge at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai, China a few weeks later. Liam O’Brien lined up for his third European Short Track Speed Skating Championships, all of which have taken place in Gdansk, Poland. The highlight of the weekend of racing was advancing to the 1000m quarterfinals. Outside of the month’s championships, Dillon Judge got the year off to a start with a seventh place at the Volvo Open Cup in Riga, Latvia.

After their successful debut at Europeans, Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus kept the momentum up in February by winning Irish ice dance’s first international medal, a bronze at the Egna Trophy in Italy. Dillon Judge had a hectic month competing at both the Dragon Trophy in Ljublana, Slovenia and Challenge Cup in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

March is always a special month for the Irish and this year was no exception. Dillon Judge and Sophia Tkacheva flew the flag at the inaugural Sonia Henie Trophy in Oslo, Norway. Liam O’Brien closed his season on a positive note at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, The Netherlands where he notched up new Irish records in both the 500m and 1000m distances, the latter appropriately enough on St Patrick’s Day. Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus made history once again as they became the first ice dancers to represent Ireland at the World Figure Skating Championships when this year’s edition was held in Montreal, Canada. They qualified for the free dance and claimed 20th place in the final standings.

In April, Deirdre Costello was appointed the ISAI National Child Officer. Dillon Judge rounded out his international season at Triglav Trophy in Jesenice, Slovenia where he picked up a bronze medal.

June signalled the end of the 2023/2024 season. ISAI delegates were involved in the important work of the 59th ISU Congress in Las Vegas, United Stated of America. The Irish Figure Skating Championships were held at the Dundee Ice Arena for the third consecutive year with titles decided in three categories.

2024 Irish Junior Women’s champion Allie Peterson had a busy August making her international debut at the Cranberry Cup in Norwood, United States of America, before participating in her first ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Riga, Latvia.

Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus got the 2024/2025 season off to a cracking start with a fifth place at Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo, Italy. The ISAI’s Annual General Meeting took place on 25 September in Dublin where members were informed of a new club affiliation process and a realignment of the membership year among other topics. Saoirse O’Sullivan made her ISU Junior Grand Prix debut in Gdansk, Poland.

October was mostly all about short track! Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien got their seasons under way respectively at the Dutch Open in Heerenveen, The Netherlands and Shanghai Trophy in Shanghai, China. Ryan McAnuff joined the aforementioned two skaters in Montreal, Canada at the end of the month for the inaugural ISU Short Track World Tour and the first racing under the exciting new Irish Wolfhounds team identity. Saoirse O’Sullivan was the sole figure skating national team member in action over the course of month when she competed at Tayside Trophy in Dundee, United Kingdom.

The Irish Wolfhounds completed a second ISU Short Track World Tour event in Montreal, Canada on the first weekend of November, while at home the Emerald Skate Learn to Skate lessons began at Dundrum On Ice. Dillon Judge, Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus, Saoirse O’Sullivan and Sophia Tkacheva formed the Irish contingent at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria. Soucisse and Firus were in action a second week in a row at Tallinn Trophy in Tallinn, Estonia. Judge garnered a bronze medal at the Lounakeskus Trophy in Tartu, Estonia.

Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien began the Asian leg of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Beijing, China before moving onto Seoul, South Korea the following weekend where McAnuff set a new Irish 500m record. At the Edusport Trophy in Otopeni, Romania, Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus wrapped up 2024 with a bronze medal, fittingly enough on World Ice Skating Day.

We look forward to an even brighter year in 2025 for Irish ice skating!

 

Irish Wolfhounds Wrap Up Asian Leg Of World Tour

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The Irish Wolfhounds ended their racing for 2024 at the  stage fourth stage of this season’s ISU Short Track World Tour in Seoul, South Korea this weekend.

As always Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) began on the opening day with qualification rounds in all three distances. The Wolfhounds were drawn in back-to-back heats in the 1500m heats. O’Brien came home fifth in Heat 6 with a time of 2:27.019, while McAnuff was also fifth in Heat 7 in a time of 2:23.526.

In the 500m preliminaries, McAnuff raced superbly in Heat 4 to clinch second place in a time of 42.555 and advance to the heats later in the day. O’Brien contested Heat 7 and was fourth in a time of 42.984. For the 500m heats, McAnuff found himself in a swift Heat 4 and finished fifth with a time of 42.232.

Last up were the 1000m preliminaries and O’Brien was first of the Irish up in Heat 2. He closed out his account for the qualifiers with a fourth place and a time of 1:30.259. McAnuff showed up in Heat 10 and narrowly missed out on advancing again as he came third in a time of 1:32.518.

The Irish Wolfhounds took on the 1500m and 500m repechages on the second day of the event. In Heat 4 of the 1500m repechage quarterfinals, O’Brien was positive from the start as he vied for the lead on the first seven laps. After contact with another skater, O’Brien lost momentum and initially crossed the line at the end in seventh with a time of 2:32.141. The skater who had made contact with O’Brien was penalised and O’Brien advanced to the 1500m repechage semifinals. McAnuff came 5th in a time of 2:29.495 in Heat 6. O’Brien wound up in a cagey affair in 1500m repechages semifinals Heat 2 and finished sixth with a time of 2:44.018.

It was then on to the 500m repechage quarterfinals for the Irish Wolfhounds. McAnuff smashed the Irish record in Heat 2 lowering it to 42.126 and earning him second place. O’Brien was fifth in Heat 6 with a time of 43.160.

The Irish Wolfhounds were back on the last day of competition for the 1000m repechages. In repechage quarterfinal Heat 1, McAnuff rounded out his competition with a fifth place in a time of 1:29.624. O’Brien tied things up for Team Ireland with a third place in Heat 7 clocking a time of 1:27.844.

“This was the final competition of 2024 and I am happy with my results,” McAnuff said. “I broke my personal best time as I skated to a new Irish record in the 500m distance. I felt very motivated by how competitive I was able to be in my races. Going into 2025, I am going to be focusing on improving my ability to defend my position while racing.”

“I felt a lot better this weekend about my racing overall,” O’Brien said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have a great first day and that makes it harder going through the repechages. But I am happy with the way I batted through the races. I’ll take this approach to racing into the new calendar year and build on my confidence alongside it.

The ISU Short Track World Tour takes a pause until February when it concludes with stops in Tilburg, The Netherlands (7-9 February) and Milan, Italy (14-16 February).

Irish Wolfhound Line Up For Seoul World Tour Event

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After their exploits last weekend in China, the Irish Wolfhounds have moved on this weekend (13-15 December) to the next stop of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Seoul, South Korea.

Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) will race against the best skaters in the world in the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances over three days inside the Mokdong Ice Rink to round competing in 2024. They will be aiming to end the year on a positive note.

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 (Seoul, South Korea)

Friday, 13 December – Qualification Rounds

Saturday, 14 December – 500m/1500m

Sunday, 15 December – 1000m

Mixed Fortunes For Irish Wolfhounds At Beijing World Tour

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The Irish Wolfhounds had a mixed bag of results at the third stage of this season’s ISU Short Track World Tour in Beijing, China this weekend.

In the qualification rounds on the opening day of the event, Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) raced in all three distances. O’Brien was first of the Irish skaters on the track in Heat 3 of the 1500m. He managed to stay ahead of a pile up that took a number of skaters out, but on the third last lap he collided with another skater and crashed into the barriers. He got back to complete the race in a time of  3:07.018 for fourth place. McAnuff was also right in contention in Heat 5 when going into the third last lap he slipped off course. He returned home in a time of 2:51.713 to come fifth.

The Irish were drawn in back to back heats of the 500m preliminaries. McAnuff got the ball rolling in Heat 4. In a swift race, he finished fifth in a new personal best of 42.183. O’Brien arrived on the ice immediately after in Heat 5 and was fourth in a time of 43.464.

The Wolfhounds faced the 1000m preliminaries to end qualification day and O’Brien found himself in Heat 2. He finished in fourth place with a time of 1:27.337. McAnuff lined up in Heat 4 and came fourth with a time of 1:26.505.

The Irish skaters took on the 1500m and 500m repechages on the second day of the event. In Heat 3 of the 1500m repechage quarterfinals, O’Brien narrowly missed out on advancing when crossed the line in third place with a time of 2:25.159. McAnuff was up right after in Heat 4 and he finished fourth in a time of 2:21.095. It was then on to the 500m repechage quarterfinals for O’Brien. He was on the back foot from the start in Heat 6 and never got into contention. He had to settle for fourth in a time of 44.715.

McAnuff and O’Brien were back on the last day of competition for the 1000m repechage quarterfinals. In Heat 4, McAnuff took fifth place with a time of 1:28.592. O’Brien followed in Heat 5 and he wrapped up Ireland’s account with a fourth place in a time of 1:28.620.

“The racing didn’t go as I had planned and there’s still a lot of work to go,” O’Brien said. “I am happy with the experience I gained this week and am ready to use it all to get a better result next week.”

“I was very proud to achieve my goal of a new personal best time, which ended up being in the 500m,” McAnuff said. “I had some races I was proud of and also some that revealed areas I need to improve, primarily in my racing strategy. I am holding my head high and am very excited to head to Seoul, South Korea for the fourth stop of the World Tour this week.”

Irish Wolfhounds Ready For The Chase In Beijing

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The Irish Wolfhounds are back racing this weekend (6-8 December) as the ISU Short Track World Tour rolls into Beijing, China for the third stop of the global circuit.

Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) will contest the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances over three days inside the Capital Indoor Stadium applying lessons learned from the first two World Tour events in Montreal, Canada.

“My goal for this weekend is to break a personal best time,” McAnuff said. “I have put in so much work leading up to this competition and, according to my times in practice, it has really paid off. I would love to see myself feeling relaxed on the track, demonstrating confidence and the ability to harness each race with intentional decisions and determination.”

“I’m excited to get back into racing again this weekend,” O’Brien said. “This is the closest competition to home outside of home (South Korea) for me and I hope to be able to take full advantage of it. I’m hoping to show what I’ve been working on since the first leg of the World Tour events and push my ranking up towards the Top 20 mark.”

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 (Beijing, China)

Friday, 6 December – Qualification Rounds

Saturday, 7 December – 500m/1500m

Sunday, 8 December – 1000m

Irish Wolfhounds Conclude North American Leg Of World Tour

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The Irish Wolfhounds rounded out the second stage of this season’s ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal, Canada this weekend.

In the qualification rounds on the opening day of the event, Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) were put through their paces in all three distances. The Wolfhounds were drawn in back-to-back heats in the 1500m heats. McAnuff came home sixth in Heat 7 with a time of 2:30.801, while O’Brien clinched 2nd place in Heat 8 in a time of 2:23.307 to earn himself a big Q and advance to the afternoon’s quarterfinals. O’Brien lined up in Heat 7 which turned into a pacey affair and he ultimately finished fifth in a time of 2:20.392.

There was Irish interest right from the off in the 500m preliminaries with McAnuff in Heat 1. In a swift race, he crashed into the barriers, but managed to get up and cross the line in fifth. O’Brien contested Heat 7 and was fourth in a time of 43.042.

Last up were the 1000m preliminaries and as with the 500m McAnuff found himself in Heat 1. He closed out his account for the qualifiers with a fourth place and a time of 1:30.222. O’Brien showed up in Heat 3 and came fifth with a time of 1:32.221.

O’Brien was the sole Irish Wolfhound to race in the 1500m and 500m repechages on the second day of the event. In Heat 1 of the 1500m repechage quarterfinals, he posted a time of 2:20.769 to come fourth. It was then on to the 500m repechage quarterfinals for O’Brien. He was right in the mix in Heat 6 for most of the race, but just did not quite have enough at the end and had to settle for fourth in a time of 42.972.

“I’m happy with my racing over the last two weeks,” O’Brien said. “It’s been a week of racing with injury, but I am confident I can bounce back before the Asian leg of the World Tour events. I know I need to improve my strength and endurance if I want to be able to compete with the top and will continue to build on that through the remainder of the season.”

McAnuff was back on the last day of competition for the 1000m repechages. In the repechage quarterfinal Heat 7, he raced positively to secure fourth place with a time of 1:29.251.

“The first two World Tour events were very exciting,” McAnuff said. “I was able to skate competitively in the racing pool and I see the areas that need more focus and improvement. I wasn’t able to break any personal best times, but I do see this on the horizon for me. I will be working very hard over the next weeks in preparation for the next World Tour events!”

The ISU Short Track World Tour moves on to Asia next month with stops in Beijing, China (6-8 December) and Seoul, South Korea (13-15 December).

Take Two For Irish Wolfhounds In Montreal

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Two Irish Wolfhounds get another opportunity to race at the second stop of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal, Canada this weekend (1-3 November).

Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) return to the Maurice Richard Arena to contest the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre distances over three days. McAnuff is on the come back trail after being forced to sit out last season due to injury. O’Brien had a fall in the 1500 heats that took him out of the subsequent racing last weekend and will be aiming to have a fuller event this time round.

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 (Montreal, Canada)

Friday, 1 November – Qualification Rounds

Saturday, 2 November – 500m/1500m

Sunday, 3 November – 1000m

Irish Wolfhounds Wrap Up First Ever Short Track World Tour Event

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The Irish Wolfhounds had their first foray of the season this weekend at the ISU Short Track World Tour in Montreal, Canada.

Qualification day saw all three skaters compete over the three distances. Liam O’Brien was first out of the gate in Heat 2 of the 1500m heats. In a messy race, he came in fifth place in a time of 2:55.697 due to being impeded by another skater and he was advanced to the next round. Ryan McAnuff was next up in Heat 5 placing 6th. Sean McAnuff raced in Heat 6 immediately after and came home in 5th place with a time of 2:23.373. O’Brien was the sole Wolfhound to return for the 1500m quarterfinals. Unfortunately, things did not go his way and he finished in fifth in Heat in a time of 3:13.585.

The 500m preliminaries were next on the agenda for the Wolfhounds. Ryan McAnuff posted a time of 44.658 to come fifth in Heat 5. O’Brien ended up recording the swiftest time of the trio with 42.558 for fourth place in Heat 8. Sean McAnuff also came fourth in Heat 9 in a time of 42.873.

The Wolfhounds closed out Day One with the 1000m preliminaries. O’Brien incurred a rule infringement in Heat 7 that meant he was penalised. Sean McAnuff just narrowly missed out on advancing when he came second in Heat 8 with a time of 1:30.993. Ryan McAnuff came fifth in Heat 10 in a time of 1:34.004.

Sean McAnuff was the only Wolfhound to contest the 1500m and 500m repechages rounds on Day Two. He came 6th in Heat 2 of the 1500m repechage quarterfinals in a time of 2:31.552 and 4th in Heat 4 of the 500m repechage quarterfinals with a time of 47.565.

Sean McAnuff was back again on the final day of competition for the 1000m repechages. He was up in Heat 7 where he finished 4th in a time of 1:29.812.

“It was a good start to the World Tour,” Sean McAnuff said. “I felt big improvements in my strength and technique. My goal for next weekend is to focus on my racing strategy and I believe focusing on this will help me advance further on in the rounds.”

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to skate the repechage following a fall in the 1500m heats, but I felt like there were promising signs in the lead up to that event,” O’Brien said. “I will build on the racing experience this weekend and push towards better results next week.”

“It was a privilege to once again represent Team Ireland and race alongside my teammates, Sean and Liam,” Ryan McAnuff said. “I enjoyed racing, skated hard and loved being challenged physically and mentally as I raced the top skaters in the world. I’m looking forward to racing again on the World Tour and representing the Irish Wolfhounds!”

The Irish Wolfhounds will be in action again next weekend for the second stage of the ISU Short Track World Tour which will be held once more in Montreal.