Crossing the finish
ISU · 2026The distance is completed when the front tip of the blade of the first arriving skate reaches the finishing line after the required laps. Finishing is therefore judged by the skate rather than the head, chest or hand, subject to the approved timing-system provisions. Deliberately kicking a skate clear of the ice at the finish is forbidden.
The rule
The distance is completed when the front tip of the blade of the first arriving skate reaches the finishing line after the required laps. Finishing is therefore judged by the skate rather than the head, chest or hand, subject to the approved timing-system provisions. Deliberately kicking a skate clear of the ice at the finish is forbidden.
In practice
Throwing the body across the line also leads to disqualification. If a skater falls near the finish and the skate arrives outside the racing lanes, the extension of the finishing line is used. An automatic timing beam triggered by something other than the skate may require the official correction procedure.
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