# World Short Track Speed Skating Championships

The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships are a senior international short track speed skating competition held once a year to determine the World Champion in individual distances, relays and Overall Classification. It is sanctioned by the International Skating Union and is usually held in March or April.
In 1967, the International Skating Union adopted short track speed skating, although it did not organise international competitions until 1976. World Championships have been held since 1981, though earlier events later received that status.
Skaters perform individual races in the 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 3000 meters (super-final involving eight competitors with highest points after completion of other distances) and a four-person race, in the 3000 meters relay for women, and the 5000 meters relay for men. Points are given for each placings in the finals of individual distances (currently 34 points for 1st, 21 for 2nd, 13 for 3rd, 8 for 4th, 5 for 5th, 3 for 6th, 2 for 7th, 1 for 8th). From 2009, the leader after first 1000m in the 3000m super-final is given extra 5 points. The athlete with the highest points after the points for all individual distances are added up (maximum 141 points, 136 points before 2009) is declared the Men's or Ladies' Overall World Short-track Speed Skating Champion. In case of a tie in points, precedence is given to the athlete with higher placing in the 3000m super-final.
The 2020 edition was supposed to be held in Seoul, South Korea, from 13 to 15 March 2020 but had been postponed after authorities ordered the closure of the Mokdong Ice Rink due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The International Skating Union initially announced they were trying to reschedule the tournament to the beginning of the 2020–21 season but cancelled the event on 16 April 2020.

## Summary

1976-1977: as a world event (World Competition)
1978-1980: as ISU championship
1981-now: as ISU World Championship
| Edition | Year | Host | Events |
| 1 | 1976 | Champaign | 13 |
| 2 | 1977 | Grenoble | 10 |
| 3 | 1978 | Solihull | 4 |
| 4 | 1979 | Québec | 4 |
| 5 | 1980 | Milan | 4 |
| 6 | 1981 | Meudon | 4 |
| 7 | 1982 | Moncton | 10 |
| 8 | 1983 | Tokyo | 12 |
| 9 | 1984 | Peterborough | 12 |
| 10 | 1985 | Amsterdam | 4 |
| 11 | 1986 | Chamonix | 4 |
| 12 | 1987 | Montréal | 5 |
| 13 | 1988 | St. Louis | 4 |
| 14 | 1989 | Solihull | 4 |
| 15 | 1990 | Amsterdam | 4 |
| 16 | 1991 | Sydney | 4 |
| 17 | 1992 | Denver | 4 |
| 18 | 1993 | Beijing | 4 |
| 19 | 1994 | Guildford | 4 |
| 20 | 1995 | Gjøvik | 12 |
| 21 | 1996 | The Hague | 12 |
| 22 | 1997 | Nagano | 10 |
| 23 | 1998 | Vienna | 10 |
| 24 | 1999 | Sofia | 12 |
| 25 | 2000 | Sheffield | 12 |
| Edition | Year | Host | Events |
| 26 | 2001 | Jeonju | 12 |
| 27 | 2002 | Montreal | 12 |
| 28 | 2003 | Warsaw | 12 |
| 29 | 2004 | Gothenburg | 12 |
| 30 | 2005 | Beijing | 10 |
| 31 | 2006 | Minneapolis | 10 |
| 32 | 2007 | Milan | 10 |
| 33 | 2008 | Gangneung | 10 |
| 34 | 2009 | Vienna | 10 |
| 35 | 2010 | Sofia | 10 |
| 36 | 2011 | Sheffield | 10 |
| 37 | 2012 | Shanghai | 10 |
| 38 | 2013 | Debrecen | 10 |
| 39 | 2014 | Montréal | 10 |
| 40 | 2015 | Moscow | 10 |
| 41 | 2016 | Seoul | 10 |
| 42 | 2017 | Rotterdam | 10 |
| 43 | 2018 | Montréal | 10 |
| 44 | 2019 | Sofia | 10 |
| 45 | 2021 | Dordrecht | 10 |
| 46 | 2022 | Montréal | 10 |
| 47 | 2023 | Seoul | 9 |
| 48 | 2024 | Rotterdam | 9 |
| 49 | 2025 | Beijing | 9 |
* 2020 Edition in Seoul was cancelled.

## Overall classification medalists
### Men

| Season | Location | Winner | Runner-up | Third |
| 1976 | Champaign | Alan Rattray | Gaetan Boucher | Andre Chabrerie |
| 1977 | Grenoble | Gaetan Boucher | Craig Kressler | Hiroshi Toda |
| 1978 | Solihull | James Lynch | Harry Spragg | Alan Rattray |
| 1979 | Québec | Hiroshi Toda | Louis Baril | Nick Thometz |
| 1980 | Milan | Gaetan Boucher (2) | Louis Gernier | Marc Bella |
| 1981 | Meudon | Benoit Baril | Gaetan Boucher | Michael Richmond |
| 1982 | Moncton | Guy Daignault | Gaetan Boucher | Louis Gernier |
| 1983 | Tokyo | Louis Gernier | Michel Delisle | Guy Daignault |
| 1984 | Peterborough | Guy Daignault (2) | Tatsuyoshi Ishihara | Michel Daignault |
| 1985 | Amsterdam | Toshinobu Kawai | Tatsuyoshi Ishihara | Louis Gernier |
| 1986 | Chamonix | Tatsuyoshi Ishihara | Guy Daignault | Robert Dubreuil |
| 1987 | Montréal | Michel Daignault Toshinobu Kawai (2) | none awarded | Charles Veldhoven |
| 1988 | St. Louis | Peter van der Velde | Richard Suyten | Tatsuyoshi Ishihara |
| 1989 | Solihull | Michel Daignault (2) | Kim Ki-Hoon | Mark Lackie |
| 1990 | Amsterdam | Lee Joon-Ho | Yuichi Akasaka Wilf O'Reilly | none awarded |
| 1991 | Sydney | Wilf O'Reilly | Kim Ki-Hoon | Lee Joon-Ho |
| 1992 | Denver | Kim Ki-Hoon | Mo Ji-Soo | Lee Joon-Ho |
| 1993 | Beijing | Marc Gagnon | Sylvain Gagnon | Chae Ji-Hoon Kim Ki-Hoon |
| 1994 | Guildford | Marc Gagnon | Chae Ji-Hoon Frederic Blackburn | none awarded |
| 1995 | Gjøvik | Chae Ji-Hoon | Marc Gagnon | Song Jae-Kun |
| 1996 | The Hague | Marc Gagnon | Chae Ji-Hoon | Orazio Fagone |
| 1997 | Nagano | Kim Dong-Sung | Marc Gagnon | Derrick Campbell |
| 1998 | Vienna | Marc Gagnon (4) | Fabio Carta | Kim Dong-Sung |
| 1999 | Sofia | Li Jiajun | Satoru Terao | Fabio Carta |
| 2000 | Sheffield | Min Ryoung | Éric Bédard | Li Jiajun |
| 2001 | Jeonju | Li Jiajun (2) | Apolo Anton Ohno | Marc Gagnon |
| 2002 | Montreal | Kim Dong-Sung (2) | Ahn Hyun-Soo | Fabio Carta |
| 2003 | Warsaw | Ahn Hyun-Soo | Li Jiajun | Song Suk-Woo |
| 2004 | Gothenburg | Ahn Hyun-Soo | Song Suk-Woo | Li Jiajun |
| 2005 | Beijing | Ahn Hyun-Soo | Apolo Anton Ohno | François-Louis Tremblay |
| 2006 | Minneapolis | Ahn Hyun-Soo | Lee Ho-Suk | François-Louis Tremblay |
| 2007 | Milan | Ahn Hyun-Soo | Charles Hamelin | Apolo Anton Ohno |
| 2008 | Gangneung | Apolo Anton Ohno | Lee Ho-Suk | Song Kyung-Taek |
| 2009 | Vienna | Lee Ho-Suk | J.R. Celski | Charles Hamelin |
| 2010 | Sofia | Lee Ho-Suk (2) | Kwak Yoon-Gy | Liang Wenhao |
| 2011 | Sheffield | Noh Jin-Kyu | Charles Hamelin | Liang Wenhao |
| 2012 | Shanghai | Kwak Yoon-Gy | Noh Jin-Kyu | Olivier Jean |
| 2013 | Debrecen | Sin Da-Woon | Kim Yun-Jae | Charles Hamelin |
| 2014 | Montréal | Viktor An (6) | J.R. Celski | Charles Hamelin |
| 2015 | Moscow | Sjinkie Knegt | Park Se-yeong | Wu Dajing |
| 2016 | Seoul | Han Tianyu | Charles Hamelin | Shaolin Sándor Liu |
| 2017 | Rotterdam | Seo Yi-ra | Sjinkie Knegt | Samuel Girard |
| 2018 | Montréal | Charles Hamelin | Shaolin Sándor Liu | Hwang Dae-Heon |
| 2019 | Sofia | Lim Hyo-jun | Hwang Dae-heon | Semion Elistratov |
| 2020 | Seoul | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | Dordrecht | Shaoang Liu | Shaolin Sándor Liu | RSU Semion Elistratov |
| 2022 | Montréal | Shaoang Liu (2) | Pascal Dion | Lee June-seo |

### Ladies

| Season | Location | Winner | Runner-up | Third |
| 1976 | Champaign | Celeste Chlapaty | Kathy Vogt | Peggy Hartrich |
| 1977 | Grenoble | Brenda Webster | Kathy Vogt | Valie Reimann |
| 1978 | Solihull | Sarah Docter | Miyoshi Kato | Patty Lyman |
| 1979 | Québec | Sylvie Daigle | Cathy Turnbull | Miyoshi Kato |
| 1980 | Milan | Miyoshi Kato | Mika Kato | Cathy Turnbull |
| 1981 | Meudon | Miyoshi Kato (2) | Mika Kato | Louise Begin |
| 1982 | Moncton | Maryse Perreault | Louise Begin | Sylvie Daigle |
| 1983 | Tokyo | Sylvie Daigle | Mika Kato | Miyoshi Kato Maryse Perreault |
| 1984 | Peterborough | Mariko Kinoshita | Sylvie Daigle | Bonnie Blair Nathalie Lambert |
| 1985 | Amsterdam | Eiko Shishii | Bonnie Blair | Nathalie Lambert |
| 1986 | Chamonix | Bonnie Blair | Nathalie Lambert Maryse Perreault | none awarded |
| 1987 | Montréal | Eiko Shishii (2) | Nathalie Lambert | Mariko Kinoshita |
| 1988 | St. Louis | Sylvie Daigle | Yumiko Yamada | Eiko Shishii |
| 1989 | Solihull | Sylvie Daigle | Maryse Perreault | Guo Hongru |
| 1990 | Amsterdam | Sylvie Daigle (5) | Joelle van Koestveld | Eden Donatelli |
| 1991 | Sydney | Nathalie Lambert | Sylvie Daigle | Zhang Yanmei |
| 1992 | Denver | Kim So-hee | Yan Li | Nobuku Yamada |
| 1993 | Beijing | Nathalie Lambert | Chun Lee-kyung | Zhang Yanmei |
| 1994 | Guildford | Nathalie Lambert (3) | Kim So-hee | Kim Ryang-hee |
| 1995 | Gjøvik | Chun Lee-kyung | Wang Chunlu | Kim Yoon-mi |
| 1996 | The Hague | Chun Lee-kyung | Won Hye-kyung | Isabelle Charest |
| 1997 | Nagano | Chun Lee-kyung (3) Yang Yang (A) | none awarded | Won Hye-kyung |
| 1998 | Vienna | Yang Yang (A) | Chun Lee-kyung Wang Chunlu | none awarded |
| 1999 | Sofia | Yang Yang (A) | Yang Yang (S) | Kim Moon-jung |
| 2000 | Sheffield | Yang Yang (A) | An Sang-mi | Yang Yang (S) |
| 2001 | Jeonju | Yang Yang (A) | Wang Chunlu | Evgenia Radanova |
| 2002 | Montréal | Yang Yang (A) (6) | Ko Gi-hyun | Evgenia Radanova |
| 2003 | Warsaw | Choi Eun-kyung | Yang Yang (A) | Kim Min-jee |
| 2004 | Gothenburg | Choi Eun-kyung (2) | Wang Meng | Byun Chun-sa |
| 2005 | Beijing | Jin Sun-yu | Choi Eun-kyung | Kang Yun-mi |
| 2006 | Minneapolis | Jin Sun-yu | Wang Meng | Kalyna Roberge |
| 2007 | Milan | Jin Sun-yu (3) | Jung Eun-ju | Kalyna Roberge |
| 2008 | Gangneung | Wang Meng | Zhou Yang | Yang Shin-young |
| 2009 | Vienna | Wang Meng | Kim Min-jung | Zhou Yang |
| 2010 | Sofia | Park Seung-hi | Wang Meng | Cho Ha-ri |
| 2011 | Sheffield | Cho Ha-ri | Katherine Reutter | Arianna Fontana |
| 2012 | Shanghai | Li Jianrou | Valérie Maltais | Arianna Fontana |
| 2013 | Debrecen | Wang Meng (3) | Park Seung-hi | Shim Suk-hee |
| 2014 | Montréal | Shim Suk-hee | Park Seung-hi | Valérie Maltais |
| 2015 | Moscow | Choi Min-jeong | Arianna Fontana | Shim Suk-hee |
| 2016 | Seoul | Choi Min-jeong | Marianne St-Gelais | Elise Christie |
| 2017 | Rotterdam | Elise Christie | Marianne St-Gelais | Shim Suk-hee |
| 2018 | Montréal | Choi Min-jeong | Shim Suk-hee | Li Jinyu |
| 2019 | Sofia | Suzanne Schulting | Choi Min-jeong | Kim Boutin |
| 2020 | Seoul | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | Dordrecht | Suzanne Schulting (2) | Courtney Sarault | Arianna Fontana |
| 2022 | Montréal | Choi Min-jeong (4) | Kim Boutin | Xandra Velzeboer |

## All-time medal count

After the 2025 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | South Korea | 117 | 85 | 74 | 276 |
| 2 | Canada | 73 | 89 | 75 | 237 |
| 3 | China | 69 | 51 | 45 | 165 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 26 | 18 | 21 | 65 |
| 5 | United States | 17 | 18 | 33 | 68 |
| 6 | Japan | 13 | 19 | 22 | 54 |
| 7 | Great Britain | 7 | 10 | 20 | 37 |
| 8 | Hungary | 7 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| 9 | Italy | 6 | 17 | 25 | 48 |
| 10 | Russia | 3 | 5 | 9 | 17 |
| 11 | Australia | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 12 | Belgium | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 13 | Poland | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 14 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | France | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (15 entries) | Totals (15 entries) | 341 | 329 | 335 | 1,005 |

## Hosting tally

| Times hosted | Host country |
| 7 | Canada |
| 6 | Great Britain |
| 5 | Netherlands |
| 4 | United States, South Korea, China |
| 3 | France, Bulgaria |
| 2 | Austria, Italy, Japan |
| 1 | Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Poland, Australia, Russia |

## Records
### Largest number of titles

* Men: Ahn Hyun Soo / Viktor An: 6 (2003–2007, 2014)
* Ladies: Yang Yang (A) : 6 (1997–2002)

### Most consecutive titles

* Men: Ahn Hyun-Soo: 5 (2003–2007)
* Ladies: Yang Yang (A): 6 (1997–2002)

### Gold medal sweeps

* Men: 2002 ( Kim Dong-Sung)
* Men: 1992 ( Kim Ki-Hoon)
* Ladies: 1983 ( Sylvie Daigle) – relay title not awarded despite the win in the race
* Ladies: 2021 ( Suzanne Schulting)

### Medal sweeps

* Men: 1982–1983 ( Canada), 1992 ( South Korea), 2025 ( Canada)
* Ladies: 1982 ( Canada), 2005 ( South Korea)