Short Track World Championships Close out the International Race Season

Kicking off the weekend were Friday’s qualifying races for both the Men’s and Women’s 500m, 1000m and 1500m events. 
Ryan Pivirotto (Ann Arbor, MI) and Andrew Heo (Warrington, PA) represented the men of Team USA in the individual races.  Pivirotto qualified for both the 500m and 1000m, and Heo qualified for 1500m. Representing the women for individual events were Kristen Santos (Fairfield, Conn.) and Corinne Stoddard (Tacoma, WA). Santos qualified in both the 1500m and 500m, and Stoddard qualified for the 500m. 

Day two was filled with medal rounds for both the men and  women of Team USA. Starting off the day was the 1500m where both Heo and Santos made it into the B Final. Heo crossed the line in 4th place and Santos was penalized. 

Up next was the 500m, where Stoddard and Pivirotto placed fifth and third, respectively in their quarter-finals, but did not advance. However, Santos advanced onto the A Final where she took fourth place with a new personal best time and the highest placement of the weekend for the Team USA.

“Going into the 500, which is probably my least favorite race of them all, I kind of had no pressure put on me and just felt like I could go out and skate,” Santos said. “It turned out really well, because I ended up in fourth, with some personal bests!”

Rounding out day two were the Semi-Final Relay races for the Women’s 3000m, which consisted of Santos, Stoddard, Julie Letai (Medfield, MA) and Kamryn Lute (New York, NY); and the Men’s 5000m Relay, comprised of Pivirotto, Heo, Caleb Park (Irvine, CA) and Marcus Howard. Both teams qualified for spots in the B Final, which was set for the next morning and both also earned themselves a third-place finish in their respective finals.

The team events were followed by more individual races. Pivirotto competed in the Men’s 1000m, finishing fourth in his quarter-final, but he did not advance.. However, Santos once again enjoyed success, placing sixth in the Women’s 3000m Super-Final.
“First, I am very happy that we were finally able to compete internationally again. It brought a lot of excitement to the team and this competition is a good way to finish this strange and restricted season as well as starting off the new season,” commented US Short Track Head Coach Wilma Boomstra. 
“I could definitely tell that it was the first real competition for us after a whole year. In the longer distances especially, there was a little too much thinking going on and it wasn’t comfortable yet. But, all in all, the team made another step in the right direction. They are all stronger and faster which makes me confident going into the Olympic year."

Click here to view the results.