World Speed Skating Championships
| First event | 1893 (official) |
|---|---|
| Occur every | Year |
| Purpose | World Championships of speed skating |
The International Skating Union[1] organises the following World Championships in the sport of speed skating:
| Sport | Discipline | Championships for: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long track | Allround | Men | Women | Junior | |
| Sprint | Men | Women | |||
| Single Distances | Men | Women | |||
| Short track | Short track | Men | Women | Junior | Team |
Records
World Allround
Men
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sven Kramer | 9 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 | 0 | 3 |
| Clas Thunberg | 5 | 1923, 1925, 1928, 1929, 1931 | 1 | 1 |
| Oscar Mathisen | 5 | 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, 1914 | 1 | 0 |
| Ivar Ballangrud | 4 | 1926, 1932, 1936, 1938 | 4 | 3 |
| Rintje Ritsma | 4 | 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001 | 2 | 3 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[2]
Women
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| / Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (Kleemann) | 8 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| Ireen Wüst | 7 | 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2020 | 4 | 2 |
| Martina Sáblíková | 5 | 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019 | 2 | 1 |
| Karin Kania (Enke, Busch) | 5 | 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988 | 2 | 0 |
| Inga Voronina (Artamonova) | 4 | 1957, 1958, 1962, 1965 | 2 | 0 |
| Atje Keulen-Deelstra | 4 | 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974 | 0 | 0 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[3]
Junior
- Multiple champions (overall classification)
- Boys
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Heiden | 2 | 1977, 1978 | 1 | 0 |
| Koen Verweij | 2 | 2009, 2010 | 1 | 0 |
| Tomas Gustafson | 2 | 1979, 1980 | 0 | 0 |
| Valeri Guk | 2 | 1984, 1985 | 0 | 0 |
| Falko Zandstra | 2 | 1990, 1991 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob de Jong | 2 | 1995, 1996 | 0 | 0 |
| Sverre Lunde Pedersen | 2 | 2011, 2012 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Roest | 2 | 2014, 2015 | 0 | 0 |
- Girls
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angela Stahnke | 3 | 1982, 1983, 1984 | 0 | 0 |
| Beth Heiden | 2 | 1978, 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| Monique Garbrecht | 2 | 1986, 1987 | 0 | 1 |
| Ulrike Adeberg | 2 | 1989, 1990 | 0 | 0 |
| Frédérique Ankoné | 2 | 2000, 2001 | 0 | 0 |
| Miho Takagi | 2 | 2012, 2013 | 0 | 0 |
| Femke Kok | 2 | 2019, 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| Angel Daleman | 2 | 2023, 2024 | 0 | 0 |
World Sprint
Men
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| / / Igor Zhelezovski | 6 | 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 | 0 | 1 |
| Jeremy Wotherspoon | 4 | 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 | 4 | 1 |
| Lee Kyou-hyuk | 4 | 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| Eric Heiden | 4 | 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 | 0 | 0 |
| Pavel Kulizhnikov | 3 | 2015, 2016, 2019 | 0 | 0 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[4]
Women
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karin Kania (Enke, Busch) | 6 | 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987 | 2 | 0 |
| Monique Garbrecht-Enfeldt | 5 | 1991, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 | 0 | 0 |
| Bonnie Blair | 3 | 1989, 1994, 1995 | 4 | 2 |
| Sheila Young | 3 | 1973, 1975, 1976 | 0 | 0 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[5]
World Single Distances
Men
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sven Kramer | 21 | 5000 m: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 10000 m: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017 Team pursuit: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2020 |
3 | 2 |
| Shani Davis | 8 | 1000 m: 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015 1500 m: 2004, 2007, 2009 Team pursuit: 2011 |
4 | 3 |
| Bob de Jong | 7 | 5000 m: 2001, 2011 10000 m: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2012 |
8 | 5 |
| Gianni Romme | 7 | 5000 m: 1998, 1999, 2000 10000 m: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 |
2 | 3 |
| Erben Wennemars | 6 | 1000 m: 2003, 2004 1500 m: 2003 Team pursuit: 2005, 2007, 2008 |
2 | 3 |
| Jordan Stolz | 6 | 500 m: 2023, 2024 1000 m: 2023, 2024 1500 m: 2023, 2024 |
2 | 1 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[6]
Women
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martina Sáblíková | 16 | 3000 m: 2007, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 5000 m: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
7 | 4 |
| Ireen Wüst | 15 | 1000 m: 2007 1500 m: 2007, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020 3000 m: 2011, 2013, 2017 Team pursuit: 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021 |
15 | 1 |
| Anni Friesinger-Postma | 12 | 1000 m: 2003, 2004, 2008 1500 m: 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 3000 m: 2003 5000 m: 2005 Team pursuit: 2005 |
9 | 1 |
| Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | 11 | 1500 m: 1997 3000 m: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 5000 m: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 |
3 | 0 |
| Irene Schouten | 8 | 3000 m: 2024 5000 m: 2021, 2023 Mass start: 2015, 2019, 2024 Team pursuit: 2021, 2024 |
2 | 5 |
| Christine Nesbitt | 7 | 1000 m: 2009, 2011, 2012 1500 m: 2012 Team pursuit: 2007, 2009, 2011 |
2 | 3 |
| Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong | 6 | 1500 m: 2023 3000 m: 2021 Team pursuit: 2016, 2017, 2021, 2025 |
5 | 2 |
| Miho Takagi | 6 | 1000 m: 2024, 2025 1500 m: 2024 Team pursuit: 2015, 2019, 2020 |
4 | 6 |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[7]
World Short Track (Overall)
Men
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahn Hyun-soo / Viktor An | 6 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| Marc Gagnon | 4 | 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998 | 2 | 1 |
Women
| Skater | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yang Yang (A) | 6 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 | 1 | 0 |
| Sylvie Daigle | 5 | 1979, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990 | 2 | 1 |
| Choi Min-jeong | 4 | 2015, 2016, 2018, 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Wang Meng | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2013 | 3 | 0 |
| Nathalie Lambert | 3 | 1991, 1993, 1994 | 2 | 2 |
| Chun Lee-kyung | 3 | 1995, 1996, 1997 | 2 | 0 |
| Jin Sun-yu | 3 | 2005, 2006, 2007 | 0 | 0 |
Combined all-time medal count
Updated after the 2025 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships.
This table include all medals won at the World Allround Speed Skating Championships (1889–2024), World Sprint Speed Skating Championships (1970–2024) and World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships (1996–2025). Unofficial World Championships (not recognized by the ISU) also included
| Rank | Nation | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Netherlands | 1893 | 2025 | 189 | 151 | 156 | 496 |
| 2. | United States | 1891 | 2025 | 61 | 47 | 59 | 167 |
| 3. | Norway | 1898 | 2025 | 57 | 62 | 63 | 182 |
| 4. | Germany | 1991 | 2020 | 56 | 51 | 39 | 146 |
| 5. | Canada | 1897 | 2025 | 45 | 61 | 56 | 162 |
| 6. | Soviet Union | 1948 | 1991 | 43 | 48 | 38 | 129 |
| 7. | Japan | 1970 | 2025 | 23 | 36 | 43 | 102 |
| 8. | Russia | 1910 | 2020 | 22 | 25 | 35 | 82 |
| 9. | Czech Republic | 2007 | 2025 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 38 |
| 10. | East Germany | 1960 | 1990 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 46 |
| 11. | South Korea | 1990 | 2025 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 45 |
| 12. | Finland | 1901 | 2013 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 36 |
| 13. | China | 1991 | 2025 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 37 |
| 14. | Italy | 1991 | 2025 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 27 |
| 15. | Sweden | 1908 | 2022 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| 16. | Austria | 1933 | 2023 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| 17. | Belgium | 1996 | 2025 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 11 |
| 18. | West Germany | 1971 | 1982 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 19. | Russian Skating Union | 2021 | 2021 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| 20. | Belarus | 1993 | 2005 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 21. | Kazakhstan | 1995 | 2013 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 22. | Latvia | 1939 | 1940 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 23. | CIS | 1992 | 1992 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hungary | 1949 | 1949 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 25. | Poland | 1978 | 2025 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| 26. | France | 1960 | 2017 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 27. | Great Britain | 1951 | 2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 2017 | 2017 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 29. | North Korea | 1966 | 1966 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 30. | Australia | 2014 | 2014 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Romania | 1994 | 1994 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Switzerland | 2024 | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| - | independent | 1951 | 1951 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 [8] |
| - | none declared | 1889 | 1907 | 7 | 18 | 18 | 43 [9] |
| Total | 605 | 597 | 593 | 1795 | |||
References
- ^ Homepage ISU
- ^ "Medal table World Championship Allround Men". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "Medal table World Championship Allround Women". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "Medal table World Championship Sprint Men". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "Medal table World Championship Sprint Women". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "Medal table World Championship Single Distance Men". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "Medal table World Championship Single Distance Women". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ Kornél Pajor skated for Hungary until he defected in 1949. From then on, the ISU allowed him to participate as an independent skater representing the ISU, as he did winning the bronze medal in 1951.
- ^ From 1889 to 1907 only gold medals were awarded: to win the gold medal, an athlete was required to win at least three of the distances. In seven competitions, no winner was declared due to this rule.