Record-Setters Give Clap Skates A Big Hand New Technology Seems To Have Revolutionized World-Class Speedskating

Give two revolutionary hinged blades to the world’s best speedskaters and watch out.

Their giant strides on clap skates produce the sweetest sound - world record, world record, world record.

The clap skate has produced a series of records on the World Cup circuit this year and probably will to do the same at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, in February.

“I have to thank the inventors of the clap skate,” Dutch star Rintje Ritsma said. “At first I was skeptical, but after the opening days of this season, it’s clear that the new equipment is giving skating a huge boost.”

Four years ago, Norway’s Johann Olav Koss set three world records and won three gold medals at the Lillehammer Olympics. Today, in the era of the clap skate, “Koss the Boss” now seems like a relic from a bygone era.

Koss’ 5,000-meter record was supposed to be untouchable until deep into the new millennium. It was surpassed twice last Sunday.

In Heerenveen’s Thialf Stadium, the shrine of Dutch speedskating, Gianni Romme set a record of 6 minutes, 30.63 seconds. Minutes earlier, another Dutchman, Bob de Jong, had clocked 6:33.58 to break the 6:34.96 record set by Koss.

Germany’s Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann set the weekend’s other world mark in the 3,000-meter race, clocking 4 minutes 7.80 seconds to better her own world record set in March 1994.

The records followed record-breaking weekends in November at tracks in Berlin and Calgary.

The reason for the tumbling times is simple: All the new records were set by racers on clap skates.

By hinging the blade at the toe of the skate, the metal detaches from the shoe and stays in contact with the ice longer than with a fixed-blade skate, giving the skater a fraction more forward momentum.

As the blade springs back into contact with the shoe it makes a distinctive clapping sound, hence its name.

Add up all those fractions and you get times that are shrinking as the skaters’ experience with the new skate grows.

“We can still go 3 or 4 seconds faster at least on the clap skates,” Romme said after breaking the 5,000 meter record. The 5,000 opens the Olympic competition on Feb. 8.

After taking awhile to catch on with skaters who have had to change their technique, the skates have revolutionized the sport this season. The International Skating Union has approved them despite criticism they provide an unfair advantage,

“It was such a pure sport. Now, we have this machine,” top U.S. woman skater Chris Witty said.

The Dutch - who stepped over to the clap skates before the rest of the world - disagree.

“A few years ago people complained when the new streamlined skating suits with built-in hoods were introduced. It’ll blow over,” said Alida Pasveer of the Royal Dutch Skaters’ Association.

Pasveer said clap skates benefit the best skaters.

“You have to skate better to get the most out of them. The technically strongest skaters will record the best times.”