Skaters need to start strong in gold chase

THE first 14 meters of the Winter Olympics 500m speed skating event are the key to securing gold, research suggests.

A Deakin University Sport Science lecturer, who has overseen research into the importance of the first leg of the race, said that will be the focus of Aussie hopeful Andy Jung as he steps out onto the ice today.

After the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Dr Eric Drinkwater, from Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, evaluated how the first 14 metres of the race influenced the outcome.

Also drawing on data from previous world championships, he found the seconds before the first turn were a crucial predictor of success.

“There is a very large relationship between how well you finish a 500 metre short-track speed skating race and how quickly you reach the first corner only 14 metres from the start of the race,” he said.

“If you start strong, you’re probably going to finish well, assuming you don’t crash out of the race.”

Findings revealed the mechanics required from the start to the first corner of the speed-skating course are similar to those used by short distance athletes in a running start on dry land.

“In fact, our research showed that we can improve a speed-skater’s start time to the first corner by training them in dryland sprint start,” Dr Drinkwater said.

“Therefore, reaching the first corner first is mostly a matter of brute speed.”

Dr Drinkwater believes this is why strong winter athletes can still come from a country like Australia.

“Nobody is saying that learning to skate is easy, and to defy gravity around those corners like Andy Jung you will need more than 14 metres of speed,” he said.

“It takes strength and speed, precision technique, nerves of steel, and a bit of luck to avoid the stack if everyone else crashes.”

Jung will today be competing in the 500m short track heats. The world record for the event is just under 34 seconds.