How fast do speed skaters go?

Records are tumbling in the speed skating in Beijing

Nils van der Poel closes in on his gold medal (Getty Images)

Records are tumbling in the speed skating at the Winter Olympics.

Of the first four gold medals to be won across both men’s and women’s competitions, each was won by an Olympic record time at the National Speed Skating Oval (or “Ice Ribbon”) in Beijing.

In the 1500m, Netherlands secured a double as both Kjeld Nuis and Ireen Wüst took gold for the Dutch, while Irene Schouten continued the dominance in the women’s 3000m.

World champion Nils van der Poel won gold for Sweden in the men’s 5000m to break that stronghold, however, with a number of events still to come in Beijing.

Here’s all you need to know about speed skating.

How fast do speed skaters go?

It depends on the event, as the races vary from 500m and a straight sprint to the endurance of a 10,000m race.

But Nils van der Poel averaged around 30 miles per hour (47kmp) when setting world records for both the 5,000m and 10,000m

How long is a speed skating track?

As per Olympic rules, the speed skating track must be 400m long. This is regardless of whether the competitor is in the inside or outside lane.

In short-track speed skating, the track is considerably shorter and is around 111m long, positioned within a rink about the same size as an ice hockey rink.