| Thialf | |
|---|---|
Thialf during the Dutch Allround Speed Skating Championship on 28 December 2008 |
|
| Location | Pim Mulierlaan 1 Heerenveen, Netherlands |
| Broke ground | 1966 |
| Opened | 14 October 1967 (outdoor) 17 November 1986 (indoor) |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Owner | Essent, Aegon, and the city Heerenveen |
| Surface | 15,000 m2 (big hall) 1,800 m2 (small hall) |
| Capacity | 12,500 seats |
| Tenants | |
| Heerenveen Flyers | |
Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The stadium is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, and non-sports events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records were set in the indoor stadium. Annually, Thialf hosts two Speed Skating World Cup events. The arena has a capacity of 12,500 seats. Jan de Jong was the ice rink master at Thialf for many years.
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Thialf is named after Thor's servant Thialfi who had to race a giant.[1]
The construction of the artificial outdoor ice rink was started in 1966 and it was opened on 14 October 1967 by Princess Christina of the Netherlands. It was the third artificial ice rink in the Netherlands, after the Jaap Eden baan and De Scheg. Several national and international tournaments were held in Thialf, but only one world record had been skated on the outdoor rink, by Andrea Schöne on the 5,000 m in 1983.[1][2]
The roofed stadium, which seats 12,500 people, opened on 17 November 1986, about a year after Sportforum Hohenschönhausen in Berlin, which was the first 400m indoor speed skating oval in the world. Thanks to the indoor conditions, allowing climate control, almost all world speed skating records were broken at Thialf in the first season. Since 1988 it has been overtaken as the "fastest ice in the world" by the high-altitude indoor rinks in Calgary and Salt Lake City, which have the additional benefit of low air pressure.
Every year there are main skating events like the Dutch, European and World championships, and two Speed Skating World Cup events in Thialf.
The 2,500-seat ice hockey arena adjacent to the speed skating oval is the home arena of the Heerenveen Flyers, one of the Netherlands' most successful ice hockey clubs. It is also the main arena used in the Netherlands for international ice hockey tournaments and will host the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships Division II Group B in late March.
These are the current track records in Thialf.[3]
| Men | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Date | Duration |
| 500 m | 34.81 | Jeremy Wotherspoon | 19-01-2008 | 1497 days |
| 1,000 m | 1:08.39 | Shani Davis | 09-12-2007 | 1538 days |
| 1,500 m | 1:44.48 | Shani Davis | 13-11-2009 | 833 days |
| 3,000 m | 3:41.48 | Sven Kramer | 20-12-2008 | 1161 days |
| 5,000 m | 6:12.97 | Sven Kramer | 09-02-2007 | 1841 days |
| 10,000 m | 12:49.88 | Sven Kramer | 11-02-2007 | 1839 days |
| Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Date | Duration |
| 500 m | 37.60 | Jenny Wolf | 20-01-2008 | 1496 days |
| 1,000 m | 1:15.01 | Christine Nesbitt | 22-01-2011 | 398 days |
| 1,500 m | 1:54.05 | Ireen Wüst | 10-02-2007 | 1840 days |
| 3,000 m | 4:00.28 | Ireen Wüst | 10-02-2007 | 1840 days |
| 5,000 m | 6:49.31 | Martina Sáblíková | 11-02-2007 | 1839 days |
| 10,000 m | 14:39.76 | Carien Kleibeuker | 24-03-2006 | 2163 days |
The following world records were set in Thialf.[2]
| Men | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Dates | |
| Set | Broken | |||
| 500 m | 36.55 | Nick Thometz | 19-03-1987 | 14-02-1988 |
| 1,000 m | 1:12.58 | Igor Zhelezovski | 25-02-1989 | 17-12-1993 |
| 1,500 m | 1:52.70 | Nikolay Gulyayev | 15-02-1987 | 05-12-1987 |
| 1:48.88 | Rintje Ritsma | 20-12-1997 | 12-02-1998 | |
| 3,000 m | 3:59.27 | Leo Visser | 19-03-1987 | 13-03-1990 |
| 3:57.52 | Johann Olav Koss | 13-03-1990 | 03-04-1992 | |
| 3:52.67 | Jelmer Beulenkamp | 25-02-1998 | 21-03-1998 | |
| 5,000 m | 6:47.01 | Leo Visser | 14-02-1987 | 22-11-1987 |
| 6:45.44 | Geir Karlstad | 22-11-1987 | 04-12-1987 | |
| 6:41.73 | Johann Olav Koss | 09-02-1991 | 22-01-1993 | |
| 6:38.77 | Johann Olav Koss | 22-01-1993 | 13-03-1993 | |
| 6:36.57 | Johann Olav Koss | 13-03-1993 | 04-12-1993 | |
| 6:30.63 | Gianni Romme | 07-12-1997 | 08-02-1998 | |
| 10,000 m | 14:03.92 | Geir Karlstad | 15-02-1987 | 06-12-1987 |
| 13:43.54 | Johann Olav Koss | 10-02-1991 | 20-02-1994 | |
| 13:03.40 | Gianni Romme | 26-11-2000 | 20-02-2002 | |
| 12:57.92 | Carl Verheijen | 04-12-2005 | 31-12-2005 | |
| 12:49.88 | Sven Kramer | 11-02-2007 | 10-03-2007 | |
| Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Dates | |
| Set | Broken | |||
| 500 m | 39.43 | Bonnie Blair | 19-03-1987 | 06-12-1987 |
| 3,000 m | 4:16.85 | Yvonne van Gennip | 19-03-1987 | 05-12-1987 |
| 4:07.80 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | 07-12-1997 | 13-12-1997 | |
| 4:05.08 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | 14-03-1998 | 27-03-1998 | |
| 5,000 m | 7:40.97 | Andrea Schöne | 23-01-1983 | 15-01-1984 |
| 7:20.36 | Yvonne van Gennip | 20-03-1987 | 28-02-1988 | |
| 6:55.34 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | 25-11-2000 | 10-03-2001 | |
The arena has hosted concerts by many famous artists, including Andre Rieu, Whitney Houston, Trance Energy and Tina Turner, among others.
Also, the national Miss Universe competition was held in Thialf several times.