Portuguese speed skater Afonso Silva set a new national record in the 1,500-meter event at a World Cup stage in the United States, narrowly missing the Olympic qualifying standard.
Silva clocked 1 minute, 48.85 seconds in Salt Lake City, Utah, significantly improving his own previous national best by more than two seconds. He had also established a new Portuguese record in the 5,000-meter event at the same competition on Friday.
Despite his record-breaking performance, Silva finished 0.85 seconds shy of the minimum time required to enter the qualification rankings for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6 to 22.
Portuguese speed skaters, along with bobsledders, have three more opportunities to achieve their Olympic qualification times in the coming weeks.
These chances will come at subsequent World Cup stages. Events are scheduled in Calgary, Canada, from November 21-23; Heerenveen, Netherlands, from December 5-7; and Hamar, Norway, from December 12-14.
Portugal has already secured three quotas for the Winter Olympics. These include one spot in men’s cross-country skiing and two in alpine skiing, one for each gender.
The specific athletes who will fill these skiing quotas are yet to be determined. Selection will be influenced by their rankings within the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Italy will host the quadrennial multi-sport event for the third time, having previously held the Winter Olympics in Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006.