J.R. Celski competes at US Speedskating's Short Track World Cup Qualifiers on August 18, 2017 at the Utah Olympic Oval (©2017 US Speedskating)
Our team is filled with international race experience, including four that have reached the biggest stage and have had success.
Kearns, Utah (PRWEB) August 23, 2017
US Speedskating announced its 2017-18 Short Track World Cup team today following a weekend of action-packed racing at the Short Track World Cup Qualifiers at the Utah Olympic Oval. After the three-day competition - set up to replicate the race format skaters will see at U.S. Olympic Team Trials - five men and five women qualified for a spot to represent the United States in this season’s ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cups. The first World Cup will be on September 28-31 in Budapest, Hungary.
Leading the field for the men will be three-time Olympic medalist J.R. Celski (Federal Way, Wash.) and 15-time World Cup medalist John-Henry Krueger (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Celski won four of the six individual races from the weekend and concluded the competition as the overall points leader. Krueger reached five of the six A Finals and won the men’s 1500m overall distance classification.
Filling out the rest of the men’s roster will be World Junior Championship silver medalist Thomas Hong (Laurel, Md.), Ryan Pivirotto (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Aaron Tran (Federal Way, Wash.). Hong took second overall in the 500m and Pivirotto finished second in the 1000m. All five men were on last year’s U.S. World Cup team.
“I was extremely encouraged by the way our athletes raced and handled the stress from this past weekend at Qualifiers,” said Anthony Barthell, the short track national team head coach. “Our team is filled with international race experience, including four that have reached the biggest stage and have had success. Those individuals will provide valuable insights to the rest of the team as we continue to build towards PyeongChang.”
On the women’s side, three Olympians will headline the roster in 2014 Olympian Jessica Kooreman (Melvindale, Mich.), two-time Olympic medalist Katherine Reutter-Adamek (Champaign, Ill.) and Reutter’s 2010 Olympic bronze medalist teammate, Lana Gehring (Glenview, Ill.).
Rounding out the women’s team will be Kristen Santos (Fairfield, Conn.) and 17-year-old Maame Biney (Reston, Va.), who was the top points-getter from this weekend. Santos was a member of the 2016-17 Short Track Fall and Winter World Cup teams, while Biney skated last season in World Cup Dresden and collected a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Innsbruck, Austria.
Of the 10-member team, all have ISU international racing experience and nine of them raced in at least one ISU Short Track World Cup during the 2016-17 season. For a full roster with athlete’s hometowns and social media handles, click here.
The Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, will host the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Short Track Speedskating on December 15-17, 2017.
Men
J.R. Celski (Federal Way, Wash.)
Thomas Hong (Laurel, Md.)
John-Henry Krueger (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Ryan Pivirotto (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Aaron Tran (Federal Way, Wash.)
Women
Maame Biney (Reston, Va.)
Lana Gehring (Glenview, Ill.)
Jessica Kooreman (Melvindale, Mich.)
Katherine Reutter-Adamek (Champaign, Ill.)
Kristen Santos (Fairfield, Conn.)
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About US Speedskating
From Pond to Podium, we are US Speedskating. We grow and nurture a sport where all ages can experience the thrill of speed and the camaraderie of the skating community. US Speedskating is responsible for the development of speed skating from grassroots to the highest elite racing programs. US Speedskating is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union as the governing body for the sport of speed skating in the United States. The Organization has won 86 Olympic medals to-date, making it one of the most successful sports in U.S. Olympic history. US Speedskating is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, on Facebook and at http://www.usspeedskating.org.
