Olympic Speedskaters to Face an Old Nemesis in Sochi: Air
What is the air speed velocity of an unladen speedskater? It depends on the altitude. Higher altitudes tend to mean less air resistance and faster speeds. At lower altitudes, skaters experience more drag, which could make things difficult for skaters at Sochi.
Gold, silver and bronze medal results (in seconds) since 1964. Note the spikes in 1998 and 2002.
Host city altitudes.
Events
Short Track Events
Here
100 meters
Sources: 2008 Olympic Fact Sheet, DatabaseOlympics.com * Note that beginning in 1998, Olympic medals for the 500m races were awarded based on the added result of two races.