The Mass Start event has grown into a highly dynamic and popular discipline within long track speed skating, culminating in its featured races at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
According to ISU Skating, the Mass Start is the youngest Olympic discipline in long track speed skating but has quickly become a favorite among audiences due to its thrilling and often unpredictable racing style. The men’s and women’s Mass Start events, scheduled at the end of the speed skating program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, showcase this evolution.
When introduced to the International Skating Union (ISU) Speed Skating World Cup Series in the 2011/12 season, the Mass Start faced skepticism from traditional speed skating fans who favored the classical paired time trial format. Nevertheless, the event attracted competitors from countries less historically associated with speed skating, broadening the sport’s appeal and eventually winning respect from its original critics.
The Mass Start made its Olympic debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games where South Korea’s Lee Seung Hoon earned the inaugural gold medal in the men’s race, highlighting the event’s competitive and engaging format. The format suits athletes transitioning from inline skating, a sport not included in the Olympic program, as it involves pack-style racing, similar to inline competition.
Notable skaters like Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida, who transitioned from inline to ice skating, have achieved success in the Mass Start and other long-distance races at the Olympic level. Lollobrigida, a former inline skating world champion, adapted her skills to ice, winning multiple medals at recent Olympics including two gold medals at Milano Cortina 2026. Similarly, Bart Swings of Belgium, the 2022 Olympic Mass Start champion, and Erin Jackson from the USA are examples of inline skaters who have excelled on ice.
Among traditional powerhouses, Dutch skaters were among the first to embrace Mass Start racing. Jorrit Bergsma, a former world champion who competed in the first Mass Start World Cup race in 2011, recognizes the event’s growing competitiveness and complexity. He describes it as a highly tactical and challenging discipline where favorites must contend with strategic racing from other competitors.
The Mass Start race consists of 16 laps with skaters competing in a pack. It includes intermediate sprints every four laps where points are awarded to the first three skaters, and a final sprint awarding the top six finishers with points, with the overall winner determined by the finishing order combined with points. The format adds strategic depth to the race beyond simply finishing first.
