Speedskating

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Speed skating is a fast-paced sport that has been around since the first Winter Olympics (although women have been competing only since 1960).

Men and women put on their skates and special suits and zoom around a giant ice oval, aiming to go as fast as they possibly can without falling. The first person to cross the finish line is the winner. The oval is commonly 400 meters in length. Skaters compete in pairs, in a sort of tournament. Winners of each "heat" advance, until only one skater is left, the winner.

Speed skating events have different distances. In the Olympics, those distances are 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 3000 meters (women only), 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters (men only).

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