Kruzbergs Opens Short Track World Tour Season With 500m and 1000m Quarterfinals

Latvian short track speed skater Kruzbergs secured places in the quarterfinals of both the 500 and 1000 metres at the first stage of the new World Tour season in Canada. The World Tour is organised by the International Skating Union (ISU) and features seven stages this season.

How the heats went

In the 500 metres, Kruzbergs was fighting for second place in his first-round heat. On the final lap, after contact with a rival, he slid into the boards, but he quickly recovered and finished fourth. The judges reviewed the collision between the two skaters and still placed the Latvian in the quarterfinals.

In the 1000 metres, Kruzbergs led his first-round heat from the start and held first place to the finish, earning a quarterfinal spot.

Reinis Berzins had less success. In the 500 metres he finished fourth in his preliminary heat and did not reach the first round. In the 1000 metres he began in the first round and was battling for third place, but after contact with an opponent on the last lap he dropped to fifth and received a judges' penalty, leaving him without a result.

What comes next

Competition continues on Saturday at 21:00 and on Sunday at 21:45. The events are streamed live on the YouTube channel "Skating ISU".

The second World Tour stage takes place in Montreal in a week. The third and fourth follow in the second half of November in Seoul and Shanghai, and the fifth in early December in Beijing. The European Championships are set for mid-January in Dresden, while the sixth and seventh stages will be held in Gdansk and Tilburg in the first half of February. The season ends in mid-March with the world championships in Seoul.

Last season Kruzbergs finished fifth in the 1500 metres at the first World Tour stage in Montreal, and fifth in the 1000 metres in Gdansk.