Events Included • Men's 500m • Women's 500m • Men's 1,000m • Women's 1,000m • Men's 1,500m • Women's 1,500m • Men's 3,000m • Women's 3000m • Men's 5,000m • Women's 5,000m • Men's 10,000m • Short Track Speed Skating
Venue M-Wave, Nagano Past Winners Men's 500m | Women's 500m | Men's 1,000m | Women's 1,000m | Men's 1,500m | Women's 1,500m | Men's 3,000m | Women's 3000m | Men's 5,000m | Women's 5,000m | Men's 10,000m Event Basics Thanks in large part to the exploits of Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair -- and the heartbreak and eventual success of Dan Jansen -- Americans have at least a passing knowledge of speed skating. But speed skating has changed with the advent of something called the "clap skate," a new skate with a hinged device on the toe that allows the blade to produce fuller contact with the ice as the heel lifts up, giving the skater more power in each stride. What has the clap skate done to the sport? Seven world records -- four on the women's side and three by the men -- have fallen since the introduction of the skate. "The world records that took more than a hundred years to be established," Japanese coach Akira Kuroiwa says, "became mere reference." Still, the other basics of the sport remain. Two skaters work against the clock, not against each other, skating counterclockwise on a 400-meter oval. There are five races on both the women's and men's side. Skaters are required to switch lanes once during the course of the race, to make up for the shorter distance around the inside of the oval. They are allowed one false start. One difference in this Olympics: Skaters will race in two 500-meter races, with the lowest total time determining the winner.
Who to watch Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, Germany, five-time Olympic medalist Svetlana Bazhanova, Russia, gold in 3,000 at '94 Lillehammer Games Hiroyasu Shimizu, Japan, bronze at 500 in '94 Lillehammer Games KC Boutiette, U.S., 4th in '97 World All-Arounds	Schedule Feb. 8 Men's 5,000 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET) Feb. 9 Men's 500 (first round) 4:30 p.m. JT (2:30 a.m. ET) Feb. 10 Men's 500 (second round) 4:30 p.m. JT (2:30 a.m. ET) Feb. 11 Women's 3,000 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET) Feb. 12 Men's 1,500 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET) Feb. 13 Women's 500 (first round) 4:30 p.m. JT (2:30 a.m. ET) Feb. 14 Women's 500 (second round) 4:30 p.m. JT (2:30 a.m. ET) Feb. 15 Men's 1,000 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET) Feb. 16 Women's 1,500 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET) Feb. 17 Men's 10,000 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET) Feb. 19 Women's 1,000 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET) Feb. 20 Women's 5,000 3:00 p.m. JT (1:00 a.m. ET)