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McAnuff and O’Brien Get Season Under Way

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Irish short trackers Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) and Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) got their seasons under way this weekend respectively at Shanghai Trophy in Shanghai, China and Dutch Open Short Track in Heerenveen, The Netherlands.

O’Brien was first off the mark in Shanghai where he raced over the course of three days with his best finish coming in the 1500 metres where he advanced to the final and came fifth. He also raced as part of Team Ireland in a Mixed Team Relay with three skaters from other federations. The team ended up fourth in the final.

Meanwhile McAnuff made his comeback to international competition at the Dutch Open after being forced to sit last season out through injury. It was a busy return as he competed in 11 races over the course of the three days. He ended up classified 29th in the 500 metres, 34th in the 1000 metres and 40th in the 1500 metres with the highlight coming when he won his 500 metre quarterfinals. He took 36th place in the overall classification.

2024/2025 National Team Members Named

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The Ice Skating Association of Ireland has selected the following athletes to represent Ireland in international competitions during the 2024/2025 season:

Figure Skating

Senior Men – Dillon Judge* (County Armagh)

Senior Ice Dance – Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus (County Wexford)

Junior Women – Saoirse O’Sullivan (County Tipperary), Allie Peterson (County Galway), Sophia Tkacheva* (County Wexford)

*Selected under Section 800 Paragraph 801.6

Short Track Speed Skating

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

2023 Another Remarkable Year For Irish Ice Skating

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2023 witnessed ice skating in Ireland continue its forward progression as more milestones were achieved.

The year began in sensational fashion in January at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Gdansk, Poland. Sean McAnuff became the first athlete from Ireland to nab a place in the main session of the championships when he advanced to the 500 metres quarterfinals. Liam O’Brien then went on to do the same by booking himself a spot in the 1500 metres semifinals. Later in the same month, Sam McAllister finally made his ISU European Figure Skating Championships debut at the third time of asking in Espoo, Finland. He finished in 28th place. At home, the ISAI board announced the appointment of Karen O’Sullivan as Chief Executive Officer and Yvonne Brett as Chief Financial Officer. The first post-Covid Emerald Skate test session was held at Dundrum On Ice.

February saw our short track speed skaters Sean McAnuff and Ryan McAnuff in action at events in Germany and Canada respectively, while figure skaters Dillon Judge and Laura Hegarty and Kevin Hegarty competed in the Netherlands at the Challenge Cup.

Liam O’Brien participated in the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships for the third consecutive time when the event was held in Seoul, South Korea in March. Sam McAllister announced his retirement from competitive skating during the month.

Four-time European competitor Conor Stakelum was appointed ISAI Anti-Doping Officer in May.

Rounding out the 2022/2023 season, the Irish Figure Skating Championships were held for the second at the Dundee Ice Arena in June. Titles were decided in five categories with Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus becoming the first ever Senior Ice Dance champions in the history of the event.

The 2023/2024 season got into full swing in September with two-time Irish Junior Champion Sophia Tkacheva competing at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Istanbul, Türkiye. The appointment of Stephen Judge as ISAI Privacy Officer was announced. Margery Hilko became the first person from Ireland to qualify as an ISU judge when she passed the ISU examination in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Ciera Turner-Frick represented Ireland at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Yerevan, Armenia in October. Dillon Judge made his international senior debut at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, United Kingdom where he was joined by Sophia Tkacheva who skated in the Junior Women’s event. The season got under way for our short track speed skaters at World Cup 1 in Montreal, Canada where Ryan McAnuff and Liam O’Brien raced. O’Brien also entered World Cup 2 again in Montreal where he not only set a new Irish record in the 1000 metres, but also advanced to the 1000 metres quarterfinals.

In November, the 2023/2024 Emerald Skate learn to skate lessons commenced at Dundrum On Ice. Dillon Judge competed at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria where he finished 10th. The ISAI Annual General Meeting was held on 29 November in Dublin. It was the first in-person AGM since 2019.

Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus kicked off December and their season when they participated in the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul, Türkiye. The second World Ice Skating Day took place on 3 December with bigger and better celebrations than in the previous year here in Ireland. Soucisse and Firus and Dillon Judge took part in the ISU Challenger Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia. Liam O’Brien was named as a recipient of a Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Scholarship and wrapped up 2023 with back to back World Cups in China and South Korea.

2024 promises to be an even more exciting year for the ISAI as the pace picks up on the development of Ireland as an ice skating nation both domestically and on the international stage.

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.

Sean McAnuff Closes Out Strong At Dresden World Cup

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This weekend Sean McAnuff was the sole Irish representative at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Dresden, Germany where he raced over two distances.

First up for McAnuff were the 1000 metres Preliminaries where he was drawn in Heat 10. Fourth place in a time of 1:27.702 just saw him narrowly missing out on advancing to the Heats later on that morning.

McAnuff’s second event of the opening day of competition was the 500 metres Prelimaries where he again was unlucky not advance from Heat 12 after finishing third with a time of 42.669.

He was back on the second day of the World Cup for the 1000 metres Repechage Quarterfinals lining up in Heat 5. In a close tussle for third place, he was edged out and came fourth in a time of 1:28.815.

The 500 metres Repechage Quarterfinals took place on the third and final day of racing. McAnuff came close to breaking his own Irish record when he crossed the line in 42.478 for fourth place.

“Although I did not advance on to the afternoon races this weekend, I am very pleased with my improvements in racing and how I executed my race strategies,” McAnuff said. “My times were competitive and consistent, and my 500 metre time was within fractions of breaking the Irish record, that I hold. My coaches have encouraged me that I remain very much on track with their training and race plans to achieve peak performance. Back to training tomorrow!

Sean McAnuff Lines Up For Dresden World Cup

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This weekend Sean McAnuff is back racing at the ISU World Cup Short Track Speeding Skating in Dresden, Germany (3-5 February).Following his successful outing at last month’s European Championships, the Irish skater races first in the qualifying rounds which will be held on Friday through to the subsequent rounds on Saturday and Sunday. This will be the first time he competes on the World Cup circuit since November 2021.“Dresden is one of my favourite cities to race in,” McAnuff said. “I have so many great memories of previous competitions here and the venue is very large and high quality! I have already spent lots of time catching up with athletes from other countries and am excited to meet new faces and continue encouraging them over race weekend.“This weekend I will compete in the 500 and 1000 metre distances and have the goal of skating new personal best times in these distances while focusing on finishing well in the rankings.”

Watch McAnuff race live on Eurosport and the ISU’s YouTube channel (geographic restrictions may apply) and follow the event via the #ShortTrackSkating hashtag on social media.

Historic Weekend For Irish Short Track At Gdansk Euros

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Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien took Irish short track speed skating to new heights at this weekend’s European Championships in Gdansk, Poland.

Racing at the Hala Olivia arena began on Friday with the qualification rounds. O’Brien lined up in Heat 3 of the 1500 metres quarterfinals in which he finished fourth in a time of 2:26.961. McAnuff appeared in Heat 7 and placed sixth with a time of 2:27.128. Both would have a second shot in the repechage the following day.

McAnuff took to the ice next in Heat 1 of the 500 metres heats. He fought hard in what was a tough race originally crossing the line in third. However, an athlete ahead of him was disqualified and McAnuff’s result was revised giving him second place and an automatic berth in Saturday afternoon’s quarterfinals. This was a first for an Irish skater at a European Championships. In Heat 9 O’Brien finished third in a time of 43.457 which put him in the repechage the following morning.

The first day of racing concluded for Team Ireland with the 1000 metres heats. McAnuff started in Heat 4 and ended in fourth place with a time of 1:33.028 giving him another opportunity in the repechage on Sunday. Unfortunately for O’Brien, he was penalised in Heat 8 and would take no further part in the distance.

The second day of competition commenced with the 1500 metres repechage quarterfinals. O’Brien comfortably won Heat 2 in a time of 2:24.948 to advance to the next round. McAnuff went in Heat 4 and just missed out on joining O’Brien as he came fourth in a time 2:36.623.

O’Brien came back for the 1500 metres repechage semifinals knowing he needed a win and nothing less to secure a spot in the afternoon’s 1500 metres semifinals. In a nail biting finish, he crossed the line in 2:31.135 a mere 0.014 seconds ahead of the second place athlete. Ireland would have not one, but two athletes in an afternoon session of a European Championships for the very first time.

It was a busy morning for O’Brien as he was back for the 500 metres repechage quarterfinals hoping to do the same as he did in the 1500 metres. However, he false started in Heat 5 and was disqualified.

O’Brien was drawn in Heat 2 of the 1500 metres semifinals. It proved to be a somewhat messy race and O’Brien was penalised bringing his racing at the championships to a slightly disappointing end. He came 22nd in the distance classification with McAnuff 32nd.

McAnuff was up in Heat 3 of the 500 metres quarterfinals and it was a swift race. He finished fifth in the heat with a time of 43.272. This put him in 19th in the distance classification which is the first time an Irish athlete has finished inside the Top 20 at a European Short Track Speed Skating Championships. O’Brien was 42nd overall.

There was just the 1000 metres repechage quarterfinals left for McAnuff on the final day of the championships. He raced in Heat 5 where he wound up third in a time of 1:42.339 and just missed out on advancing any further. His distance classification was 31st with O’Brien’s 43rd.

“This year’s European Championships were so much fun,” McAnuff said. “I got to engage with and enjoy the company of so many athletes. There was a great atmosphere of supporting one another and encouragement between smaller countries.

“I felt I came back after last season refreshed and with a whole new enjoyment of the sport. I was very pleased with my outcome finishing with the best results of my career, in the 500 metres. I have been training hard off the ice for the last eight months and my coaches and I saw a huge improvement from focusing on these aspects of training. I’m looking forward to future competitions and pushing beyond my limits.”

“The competition definitely had its highs and lows,” O’Brien said. “Qualification didn’t go as planned, but I was happy to bounce back in the repechage on Saturday and make it through to the semifinals in the 1500 metres. In the semi, I thought I was a bit unfortunate to get penalised, but that’s racing. Overall, there was a lot to come out of the competition and take into future races.”

“Sean has delivered his best performance to date at a European Championships,” team leader Karen O’Sullivan said. “His 19th place finish in the 500 metres has to be satisfying for him and the training he has committed to over the season. It will spur him on to improving on this result at his next competition. World Cup 5 in Dresden, Germany in a couple of weeks. After his race this morning he expressed the target of a 16th place in Dresden in the 500 metres.

“The results were not what Liam was hoping for at this championships,” O’Sullivan said. “However, he goes back to his training centre with renewed motivation. This has been a learning championships for Liam and he has shown great mental strength throughout the weekend. His races on Saturday showed us what he is capable of into the future.

“Overall, both competitors did well and have exceeded previous results of Irish athletes at these championships in the past.”

McAnuff and O’Brien Fly The Flag For Ireland At Short Track Euros

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Sean McAnuff (25) and Liam O’Brien (24) line up this weekend (13-15 January) representing Ireland in the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Gdansk, Poland.The Irish skaters will be among a field of over 130 athletes from 25 countries racing for top honours at an event that was first held in 1997. Last year’s edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.McAnuff and O’Brien will begin the championships on Friday, 13 January with the qualifications rounds of the 500, 1000 and 1500 metres distances. Subsequent rounds, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will take place on Saturday, 14 January and Sunday, 15 January.

It will be the fourth appearance at Europeans for McAnuff and his first since 2020.

“It’s so great to be back at Europeans,” McAnuff said. “It sure hasn’t felt like three years since I raced in these Championships. I am very excited to line up against the best skaters in Europe. I look forward to skating to the best of my ability and having fun while doing it!”

O’Brien will feel right at home in the Hala Olivia arena as this is the venue where he made his European debut in 2021.

“It feels good to be back in Gdansk,” O’Brien said. “Last time I was here we were in the middle of the pandemic and not able to leave the hotel. This time I had the chance to get out and explore a bit of the city so I feel more relaxed going into the competition. I am hoping I can improve on my last European results off the back of World Cup 3 and 4.”

The ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships will be broadcast online on Eurosport and the 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.

Irish Ice Skating Thrived In 2022 Reaching New Heights

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Irish ice skating broke new ground in 2022 as activities largely resumed after pandemic restrictions were lifted.

The year began dramatically when Conor Stakelum stepped in at the last moment to compete in Tallinn, Estonia at his fourth European Figure Championships in January. He placed 3oth which was his highest placement ever at the event.

February saw figure skating national team members Adare Condon, Dracy Condon, Robyn Foster, Elizabeth Golding and Sam McAllister participate at international competitions across Europe.

In March, Elizabeth Golding became the first skater to represent Ireland at the European Youth Olympic Festival when the postponed edition in Vuokatti, Finland finally was held. She placed 26th.

Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien became the first skaters from Ireland to compete in the same category at an ISU World Championships when they raced at Short Track Speed Skating Worlds in Montreal, Canada in April. They finished 35th and 37th respectively. The same month Dillon Judge, Robyn Foster and Sophia Tkacheva all placed inside the top ten at the Kurbada Cup in Riga, Latvia, while Sam McAllister claimed a silver medal at the Triglav Trophy in Jesenice, Slovenia. Amidst all of that, the Irish Winter Sports National Governing Bodies, including the Ice Skating Association of Ireland, together with the Olympic Federation of Ireland launched the Irish Winter Sports Strategy.

The 2021/2022 season concluded with the Irish Figure Skating Championships held for the first time since 2020. The Dundee Ice Arena hosted the competition over two days with Laura Hegarty and Kevin Hegarty crowned the first ever champions in the Junior Ice Dance event. Sam McAllister and Dillon Judge both won third national titles in their respective categories, while Robyn Foster picked up her first national title.

In July, Conor Stakelum announced his retirement following a career where among other achievements he made history by becoming the first Irish male skater to participate at a European Figure Skating Championships. Among the 2022/2023 figure skating national team members selected were Laura Hegarty and Kevin Hegarty, another first for Irish ice dance.

Ireland fielded its largest ever team at an ISU Junior Grand Prix with Dillon Judge (Men), Robyn Foster (Women) and Laura Hegarty and Kevin Hegarty (Ice Dance) taking to the ice in Courchevel, France at the end of August. The Hegartys also became the first ever ice dance team to represent Ireland at an ISU event. The same weekend Sam McAllister took a bronze medal at the Britannia Figure Cup in Sheffield.

Sophia Tkacheva joined Dillon Judge and Laura Hegarty and Kevin Hegarty in Gdansk, Poland for Team Ireland’s second designated ISU Junior Grand Prix of the season in late September.

In October, Sam McAllister, Dillon Judge and Sophia Tkacheva were back at the Dundee Ice Arena for Tayside Trophy. Both Judge and Tkacheva posted a new set of season bests, while McAllister collected valuable ISU World Ranking points in coming fifth in his event.

Emerald Skate Learn To Skate lessons returned in November with courses held at Dundrum On Ice. Dillon Judge and Sophia Tkacheva rounded out 2022 by competing at the NRW Trophy in Dortmund, Germany. The ISAI Annual General Meeting was held virtually on 30 November and a new Board of Directors was elected.

The final month of 2022 began in spectacular style with an Ice Parade of Nations held at Dundrum On Ice to celebrate the inaugural World Ice Skating Day on 4 December. Liam O’Brien participated in back to back World Cups in Almaty, Kazakhstan setting a new national record in the 1000 metres and also becoming the first Irish short track speed skater to qualify for a World Cup semi-final.

2022 has been a landmark year for Irish ice skating with new heights achieved across a range of disciplines. The ISAI looks forward to making 2023 an even better year with the continued cooperation of all our stakeholders.

2023 Short Track And Figure Euros Teams Named

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January 2023 will be a busy month with Ireland represented at both Short Track Speed Skating and Figure Skating European Championships.

Sean McAnuff and Liam O’Brien will race at Short Track Europeans between 13-15 January at the Hala Olivia in Gdansk, Poland. McAnuff finished 35th at the World Championships in Montreal, Canada back in April. It will be his fourth appearance at Europeans.

“I am really excited to compete the upcoming European Championships as it will be my first time in Poland,” McAnuff said. “I took most of this past year off to relax and reflect on why I would like to continue to pursue a career in speed skating. I came to the conclusion going into this competition I find it rewarding to achieve goals I set out for myself. I want to strive to race to the best of my ability and encourage other to do the same while strengthening friendships to be more involved in the skating community.”

O’Brien has had a great season so far. In back to back outings at World Cups in Almaty, Kazakhstan, he set a new national record in the 1000 metres and also became the first Irish skater to race in a World Cup semi-final at any distance.

“I’m excited to get the opportunity to race at Europeans,” O’Brien said. “I can’t wait to head back to Poland where I skated my first competition and previous European Championships for Ireland. I hope to build on the performance from World Cup 4 and aim towards the championship main event.”

After missing out on the previous two editions through cancellation and illness respectively, Sam McAllister makes his European debut at the Metro Areena in Espoo, Finland with the championships taking place 23-29 January. He will become only the third skater to represent Ireland at the event since it began back in 1891.

“I am beyond excited and ready for Europeans,” McAllister said. “I have never travelled to Finland before so I’m looking forward to also visiting a new country. I am planning to go and enjoy this event and gain more experience.”

ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2023 – Gdansk, Poland (13-15 January)

Men: Sean McAnuff, Liam O’Brien

ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2023 – Espoo, Finland (23-29 January)

Men: Sam McAllister