Julie JagA world championship isn’t enough for Joey Matia. This weekend, he’ll be looking for a national one or two, too.
Mantia will be among the dozens of senior and junior athletes competing at the U.S. Long Track Speed Skating Championships at The Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns from Friday through Sunday. The event, which was originally scheduled for December but was postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak, will also be fundamental in determining the members of US Speed Skating’s national teams.
Mantia will be racing three weeks after claiming gold in the mass start at the ISU World Single Distance Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. It is his third career world title. He also placed fifth in the 1,500 meters at Worlds.
Last year at the Oval, Mantia won national titles in the 1,000 and 1,500. But he won’t the only reigning national champion or even Olympian on the track. Mia Kilburg, who took bronze in team pursuit in Pyeongchang, is also expected to compete.
He is, however, expected to be the only current world champion on the track. Brittany Bowe, who won her fifth career world championship in the 1,000 last month and also took silver in the 1,500, will not attend the event.
Spectators will not be allowed inside the Oval. Competition highlights will be aired March 13 from 10:30 a.m. to noon on NBCSN.
Julie left the beach of Santa Cruz, Calif., where she worked for 17 years, for the mountains of Salt Lake City in 2019. She has covered the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Maverick's big wave surf contest and two Olympics. A Colorado native, she enjoys creating her own adventure, occasionally with her husband and two kids in tow.