Team pursuit
ISU · 2026In team pursuit, teams start simultaneously on opposite sides of the track and use a shared competition lane. The team’s time is taken on its third finishing skater. Sending one teammate far ahead does not improve that time, and a team with fewer than three finishers has not completed the race.
The rule
In team pursuit, teams start simultaneously on opposite sides of the track and use a shared competition lane. The team’s time is taken on its third finishing skater. Sending one teammate far ahead does not improve that time, and a team with fewer than three finishers has not completed the race.
In practice
The event may use a time ranking or elimination rounds, so winning a heat and posting the fastest time are not always equivalent. In an elimination race, catching the opposing team can settle the heat early, judged when the third skater catches the opponent’s third skater. Teammates coordinate their pace to keep the counted finishers together.
Sources & approach ↗