Records Set At The Utah Olympic Oval
The oval is one of the world's fastest indoor skating tracks, mainly because of its elevation. It is the world's highest indoor oval at 4,675 feet (1,425 m) above sea level, 1,000 feet (300 m) higher than Calgary's Olympic Oval, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics (which is the second highest). Because of the elevation, there is less air resistance for the skaters and less oxygen frozen into the ice, making it harder, denser and faster.
During the 2002 Olympic games all ten speed skating events held in the oval set Olympic records. The oval still maintains eight, thanks in part to the relatively low elevation of both the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Ovals. Before and after the Olympics, the oval has hosted many local and international speed skating competitions and as of December 2010, ten current world records have been set inside the oval. The Utah oval is often compared to Calgary's Olympic Oval, which holds 13 world records, three more than Utah's Oval. Holding the honor of Fastest Ice on Earth has created an unofficial rivalry between the two venues, because Utah's oval holds 8 Olympic records, and Calgary's holds none; while Calgary's oval holds 13 world records, and Utah's only 10.
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