Thialf

This article is about the sports arena. For the crane vessel, see SSCV Thialf.

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.

History

Ice skaters and their coaches during the World Cup in the season 2007–2008

Thialf is named after Thor's servant Thialfi who had to race a giant.

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.

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.

Dutch championships

• 2006 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships (27–30 December 2005)
• 2007 KNSB Dutch Allround Championships (23–24 December 2006)
• 2008 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships (26–28 October 2007)
• 2009 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships (31 October–2 November 2008)

World Cup

• 2008–09 Speed Skating World Cup/World Cup 2 (14–16 November 2008)
• 2008–09 Speed Skating World Cup/World Cup 8 (14–15 February 2009)
• 2009–10 Speed Skating World Cup – World Cup 2 (13–15 November 2009)
• 2009–10 Speed Skating World Cup – World Cup 7 (12–14 March 2010)

World championships

• 2007 World Allround Speed Skating Championships
• 2010 World Allround Speed Skating Championships
• 2011 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships

Track records

These are the current track records in Thialf.

Men
Distance	Time	Skater	Date	Duration
500 m	34.81	Jeremy Wotherspoon	19-01-2008	1502 days
1,000 m	1:08.39	Shani Davis	09-12-2007	1543 days
1,500 m	1:44.48	Shani Davis	13-11-2009	838 days
3,000 m	3:41.48	Sven Kramer	20-12-2008	1166 days
5,000 m	6:12.97	Sven Kramer	09-02-2007	1846 days
10,000 m	12:49.88	Sven Kramer	11-02-2007	1844 days

Women
Distance	Time	Skater	Date	Duration
500 m	37.60	Jenny Wolf	20-01-2008	1501 days
1,000 m	1:15.01	Christine Nesbitt	22-01-2011	403 days
1,500 m	1:54.05	Ireen Wüst	10-02-2007	1845 days
3,000 m	4:00.28	Ireen Wüst	10-02-2007	1845 days
5,000 m	6:49.31	Martina Sáblíková	11-02-2007	1844 days
10,000 m	14:39.76	Carien Kleibeuker	24-03-2006	2168 days

World records

The following world records were set in Thialf.

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

Other events

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.

External links

• Official website
• IJsstadion Thialf