Faster, fiercer and far more intriguing with the Olympics on the horizon — the endgame of short-track speed skating's 2024-25 season is serving up the closest possible test to the challenge that will face the world's best at Milano-Cortina 2026.
From heated battles between in-form superstars to some era-defining rivalries on ice, the 2025 International Skating Union short-track world championships, which take place from Friday to Sunday in Beijing, will have it all, as aspirant medal contenders do battle at the Capital Indoor Stadium in a bid to get a head-start on their race to the Olympic podium.
Among the 164 skaters from 36 nations and regions to hit the ice in Beijing, fresh ISU Crystal Globe winners Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States and her male counterpart William Dandjinou of Canada have emerged as rarely-seen all-arounders — and as undisputed favorites across all individual events — but, everywhere they look, top-class challengers are waiting to pounce.
▲ Crystal Globe winning Canadian skater William Dandjinou says he's approaching the Beijing championships with "a clean slate and a desire to win".
Yu Meng/For China Daily
Despite their dominance on the recently concluded 2024-25 World Tour, both Santos-Griswold and Dandjinou are approaching the meet knowing they have to step it up a gear with the Milano-Cortina Games just 11 months away.
"Nothing is given to you in short-track, so I have to earn everything," said Dandjinou, who collected a whopping eight gold medals from six World Tour events to claim the first season top-performer trophy for Canadian men last month.
▲ Women's Crystal Globe winner Kristen Santos-Griswold says she has been working on the mental aspect of her skating.
Yu Meng/For China Daily
"To me, the world championships provide another opportunity to improve myself to the best of my ability. So, I come into them with a clean slate and desire to win.
"But, everyone's ready, so I can anticipate some good races. I think, besides the Olympic Games, this is the biggest competition."
Led by the 23-year-old Dandjinou, the defending 1,000m world champion, Canada bagged 37 medals, including 21 gold, on the topflight ISU tour, winning the inaugural team Crystal Globe, while signing off the tour season with its skaters ranked top-three overall in five of the six individual distances and all three relays.
Women's reigning 1,000m world champion Santos-Griswold has also opted to start from scratch on her return to the Beijing 2022 venue, where she narrowly missed out on the Olympic podium.
"I honestly don't really have too many expectations, besides showing up every day and trying my hardest. That's what I do every day, and it's been working out for me," said the 31-year-old distance-event specialist.
"I've also been working on the mental aspect of my skating. It's definitely a really hard sport mentally. A lot of things can happen that are out of your control, and sometimes that's really frustrating. But, I just try to really take it one step at a time, one race at a time," said Santos-Griswold, who won four gold medals on the tour to become the third American winner of the globe trophy.
