Speed skating has been part of the winter olympics from the start. There were men's races at the 1924 winter games at Chamonix. The first gold medal winner at the winter olympics was American Charles Jewtraw from Lake Placid, New York, who won in the 500-meter race. Women's races had been demonstration sports at several olympics, but didn't become official medal-awarding sports until 1960.

The object of speed skating today is exactly the same as it has been since the sport was introduced in its first olympics--to skate faster than the other racers. The races are conducted in pairs, but the olympic athletes are racing the clock, not one another. Winning in a pair does not mean winning the event. To be the winner of an event, the skater must have the fastest time at the end of the group or heat at the olympics.

The distance around the outer edge of a speed skating track is longer than the distance around the inside edge. To make sure that both skaters race the same distance, staggered starts are sometimes used.

In shorter races at the winter olympics, skaters simply go flat out as fast as they can, just as a runner does during a sprint. But longer olympics races make it necessary for the racer to conserve as much energy as possible. During a long race a skater will rst an arm on his or her back. That saves the energy that would otherwise be used pumping the arm back and forth. It also gives the olympics skater a more aerodynamic shape and cuts wind resistance.

For more olympics information, go to http://www.summer-winter-olympics-games.com.