The Best Speedskaters in the World

List of the best speedskaters in the world. All of the speedskaters on this list are currently active in the sport; many earned medals and set records at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Others didn’t make it to Sochi, but can still be considered the best thanks to their earlier performances. Some are young, some are relatively old, but no matter what, they’re all the greatest found in the sport today.

Some of the best speedskaters on this list have already set records and made names for themselves, ones that will live on in skating history. Can anyone overlook Jeremy Wotherspoon, who is famous for his sprinting? He holds the current men’s 500m world record, which he set in 2007. Although he didn’t qualify for the 2014 Olympic Games, he hasn’t announced retirement, so Olympic gold could still be in his future.

Women also have a strong presence in the sport; for an example, you don’t need to look any further than Lee Sang-hwa, the world record holder in the women’s 500m. She set the record in 2013, then went on to take the Olympic gold in 2014 in the same event. The 2014 gold wasn’t her first, either; she also won the Olympic gold in the event in 2010 — making her one of the best speedskaters of all time.

This list contains all of the speed skating greats, the ones fans tune in to see year after year. Many haven’t begun to make their marks yet, while others are nearing the ends of the careers. No matter how much they’ve accomplished so far, however, they all deserve a place on this, the list of the best speed skaters in the world.