The 2026 Olympic Winter Games may be a few months away, but some of the world’s best long track speedskaters will gather in Utah this month for the ISU World Cup No. 1 competition at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns.

The Oval is home of the U.S. Speedskating program, where both long and short track teams have been in training to prepare for international competition prior to the Games. The U.S. team is expected to have a large number of contenders for Olympic medals when the Games start Feb. 5 in Milano, Italy.

Top ranked-world speedskaters Mia Manganello, left, and world record holder Brittany Bowe, right, will be among the best American skaters at the World Cup competition. (Tom Haraldsen/City Journals)

Among the top U.S. competitors in Kearns during the Nov. 14-16 competition are world record holders Brittany Bowe and Jordan Stolz. 

Bowe still holds the world record in the 1000 meters which she set on Oval ice in 2019. She  has the American record in the 1500 meters set in Calgary, Alberta in 2015. She has two Olympic medals and is considered among the most successful speedskaters in U.S. history.

Stolz began his climb toward becoming the top male long tracker in the world with three gold medals in the 2023 World Championships, three more in 2024, and two silvers and a bronze in 2025. He has also won the overall World Cup title.

Also other top women competing in Kearns will be American Erin Jackson, defending Olympic champ in 500 meters she won in 2022 in Beijing; Kimi Goetz, who has won multiple medals in world competitions over the past five years; and Mia Manganello, a multi-metal winner in long distance and team racing events. Among the other men skaters are Ethan Ceparan, Casey Dawson, Austin Kleba, Emery Lehman, Conor McDermott-Mostowy and Cooper McLeod, all of whom had great seasons last year and could contend for medals on the Kearns ice.

The Olympic Oval, billed as “The Fastest Ice On Earth,” host site for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and future host for the 2034 Olympics, will welcome a number of speedskating competitions over the next few months. 

The 2025 Beehive Burn for long track international will precede the World Cup event on Nov. 7. The U.S. Junior Short Track Championships will be held Dec. 19-21, as well as the UOO Winter Challenge for racers ages 5 and up on Dec. 20 and 21. The U.S. Junior Long Track and AmCup Championships will be held Jan. 16-18, 2026, on the Kearns ice. The ISU Junior World Short Track Championships are coming to Salt Lake City, likely at the Delta Center, from Jan. 2-Feb. 1, 2026.