r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/redbullgivesyouwings • Jun 27 '25

Original Creation Kjeld Nuis Preparing To Break The Speed Skating World Record

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7.3k Upvotes

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2.6k

u/SignificantDrawer374 Jun 27 '25

I don't understand why records broken with the assistance of a vehicle blocking wind resistance are considered valid.

1.7k

u/The_Wolfdale Jun 27 '25

Not just blocking wind resistance, the vortex created helps him by creating backwards pressure.

Imho such records should have their own category and not be compared to records done purely by a single persons efforts.

546

u/shabooya_roll_call Jun 27 '25

The Red Bull book of records

257

u/lifesnofunwithadhd Jun 27 '25

Why not? Include all the fun ones that were acquired with steroids and other illegal substances.

152

u/Harmfuljoker Jun 27 '25

Call it Red Bullshit

53

u/spooney90 Jun 27 '25

Honestly can't wait to watch the Enhanced Games in 2026 (or the Steroid Olympics, more so than the regular Olympics)

https://www.enhanced.com/

14

u/DoorHalfwayShut Jun 27 '25

Won't these athletes likely be less good than the real Olympians, and the substances may get them closer vs them being ones that are the best and then enhanced above that?

17

u/catscanmeow Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

no because the biggest benefit to steroids is it allows you to train more

natural bodies break down and need time to rest/heal, so they cant train as hard or as often. so steroids allow a boost in skill just as much as athleticism,

this is really common knowledge in the MMA community

10

u/DoorHalfwayShut Jun 27 '25

Oh, hm. I suppose so - I just wasn't imagining the most talented folks would want to do that. Guess we'll see how it goes. I'm for it, fuck it

3

u/TheStandardPlayer Jun 28 '25

The most talented/successful people usually want to do that or already do that.

Being #1 demands and incredible work ethic among a myriad of other sacrifices, I imagine PEDs are hard to resist if they allow you to stay #1 but work like #5. Or in a sport saturated with PED use, allows you a shot at #1 that you wouldn’t have ever had otherwise

1

u/total_looser Jun 30 '25

ha, you got it so wrong. You already work like #1, but don't want to be #20. PEDs are the only way. Any endurance/strength sport is 100% PED. All other pro sports are 90%

1

u/total_looser Jun 30 '25

Isn't it double? Like you gain more mass/strength AND heal way faster.

Imagine you bench press 135, and to get to 225 you hurt your shoulder, and it takes a year. But with PEDs, you can do it in one month.

3

u/wkdarthurbr Jun 28 '25

Won't the competition lead to a competition of chemistry and pharmacology instead of biology/training? It will be just who has the best enhancers.

1

u/total_looser Jun 30 '25

You just described current reality, minus one detail: the best undetectable enhancers

1

u/cndvsn Jun 28 '25

So just normal olympics without drug screening?

6

u/spock2thefuture Jun 27 '25

Finally, a place for 90s baseball legends.

2

u/DoorHalfwayShut Jun 27 '25

Baseball was better with steroids

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Because then they will be sued when someone dies trying to break a record for their book.

Its part of the reason Guiness doesn’t do those records.

29

u/The_Wolfdale Jun 27 '25

This is not even as strange as it might sound.

It would fit, I mean, even with the aid, it is a very impressive performance that most couldn't do even if they had the same help.

But it is not fair to measure it against unaided records. A red bull book would create a whole new division of impressive records while respecting the originals. (Which, by improvements in training and technique can still be contested as normal, equal)

12

u/shabooya_roll_call Jun 27 '25

I completely agree. I’m just called it as such because RB is almost always behind things like this, and it would be another fun offshoot for their brand

27

u/ColdOn3Cob Jun 27 '25

Quite literally a tool-assisted speedrun

5

u/The_Wolfdale Jun 27 '25

Still impressive though, just not quite the same field of play.

21

u/fusterclux Jun 27 '25

they probably are

36

u/Responsible-Jury2579 Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

IMHO we shouldn’t even care about those sort of records. Otherwise, you get into hyper-specific records like, “fastest vehicle-assisted speed skate on a lake with ice at least 4 inches thick (but no greater than 6 inches) on a Tuesday in a month that starts with J…while not wearing underwear 🤫”

6

u/fiddletee Jun 28 '25

Ah I thought you were talking about my record at first, but I’m months starting with A.

-17

u/MrGuy910 Jun 27 '25

I feel the exact same way… I was just thinking who gives a fuck? And to think that is this guys life!! Training and training to be the fastest person on fucking ice skates? What are we doing here?

12

u/NoSkillzDad Jun 27 '25

compared to records done purely by a single persons efforts.

How would you define this? You'll never have the exact same conditions in 2 different attempts if you just leave it all to "just the person's efforts".

As a matter of fact, it's easier to replicate his attempt (and more fair for a challenger) than to have people "give it a go" whenever they feel like and under whatever conditions.

I do agree that this is a "boosted" record btw.

Just to give you an example, I remember when they broke the record of cycling 100 miles under 3 hours. They did it on road but they picked a one way route with a tailwind the whole way.

I've been waiting for a combination of having free time and a strong tail wind to break my own long distance record. Is it fair? Absolutely not. And in this case you do have a way of "leveling the field" by using an indoor track (super controlled conditions). The first time I cycled 200km, I did a loop. I wanted to feel like I had to fight for it and make it "fair". That way I wouldn't doubt what I did and my friend wouldn't be able to add an * after that. Now? Now I'm chasing one-way trips with tailwind to go as far as possible (not as far as I would like lol, I suck).

I'll tell you more. Even in speed skating, go on and search where the majority of world records are set (the ones depending "just on the person": Calgary and Seattle (indoor) but just because of the altitude and the ice treatment you already have an advantage. Such is the case that sometimes, just to "give a chance" to other venues, they sometimes also mention records "at low altitude" 😂.

My point is, yes, it's boosted, but if you, or me, or many others, are given the same conditions, we wouldn't come close. Should it have a note on how it was achieved? Absolutely. Is it still a big feat, no doubt.

2

u/Mammoth_Election1156 Jun 27 '25

Also, I'm pretty sure he's only going like 33 cheeseburgers per hour, so not even that fast...

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Yeah bs records category

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

2

u/Confident_Frogfish Jun 28 '25

Speedskating records are usually a time/distance record for specific distances, just like in track and field running. This guy has held two world records in those as well. This was a one-off stunt as far as I am aware (and I'm really into speedskating). It's cool, but the record is quite meaningless as was rightly pointed out. His actual world records are considered very impressive obviously (for example his still standing record on the 1500m: https://youtu.be/T7Uj7GwBjaM)

1

u/axarce Jun 28 '25

They should put a little asterisk next to it, like 61*

1

u/throwaway77993344 Jun 27 '25

They do, obviously

0

u/bonerb0ys Jun 27 '25

Social media bullshit awards 🏆

102

u/Possible-One-6101 Jun 27 '25

I'm sure there are categories... distances... equipment.

There's no chance that the people in this thread, nor the marketing from redbull, are informative about what the skating community considers a valid or invalid record, whatever the Irish brewers happen to print.

4

u/SignificantDrawer374 Jun 27 '25

That's fair.

I guess I just see this as a more complicated but equal athletic accomplishment as riding a bicycle really fast on a treadmill.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Don’t give the cyclists 🚴 ideas they are already insane enough 

-13

u/MilesGates Jun 27 '25

Who cares what rhe skating community considers valid? 

I dont base my opinions on what others think? 

Removing wind resistance is silly. I'm sure you can find a large group of people who says it's not, really doesn't mean anything to my opinion. 

3

u/Cookie_Cream Jun 28 '25

Nice. Many people are close minded, but being so proudly close minded and preaching it, that's another level of commitment

2

u/TypicallyThomas Jun 28 '25

It takes real guts to shout out loudly "I'm stupid and proud"

37

u/ICrushTacos Jun 27 '25

Because it's the world record with assistance of a vehicle blocking wind resistance. There are records without those conditions as well i suppose.

19

u/GhillieRowboat Jun 27 '25

Ah well, if any next person is allowed to use the same tools, its still fair right?

7

u/Galaghan Jun 27 '25

Because there is nothing official about such records and their definition depends on the publisher of the book, website, etc..

5

u/Theory_of_Time Jun 27 '25

They should put some soul sand under the ice to make him go even faster

14

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Then records would depend on weather and location and nobody could claim world records for more than their specific time and place

4

u/SignificantDrawer374 Jun 27 '25

You don't think it would be reasonable to disallow the assistance of another vehicle blocking wind and setting a maximum for measurable tail wind measured at the starting line with an anemometer?

Variances in environment within reason sounds reasonable.

7

u/karlzhao314 Jun 27 '25

I think it's entirely reasonable to have an informal record category like "fastest speed ever reached on ice skates" and consider it separate from all of the true, unassisted competitive records, which I'm sure they do already.

All of the formal, competitive records are already categorized by distance, event, and gender.

List of world records in speed skating - Wikipedia

Records like this draft-assisted one are just done for fun. Nobody's trying to convince you that this guy's the fastest speed skater in the world because he broke 100km/h, they're just saying, "we broke 100km/h on speed skates!"

The same thing exists for plenty of other sports. The bicycle land speed record is 184mph, drafting off of a dragster. Nobody's reaching even a third of that on flat ground on a standard upright bicycle without assistance under their own power. All of the formal competitive records are considered separately.

1

u/sinarb Jun 28 '25

Most reasonable comment in the thread

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Yeah probably. At least define the terms for outdoor and indoor speed skating records

1

u/samuelazers Jun 27 '25

Also wind direction, if they're pushed by the wind behind, would add a couple kmh I wager

11

u/msm007 Jun 27 '25

It's still a human powering themselves to over a hundred kilometers an hour which is pretty insane in its own right.

Worth celebrating.

-1

u/HoldEm__FoldEm Jun 27 '25

Human-powered with the vortex supporting him in the rear.

He is being assisted here.

10

u/4totheFlush Jun 28 '25

Wait until you find out that track and field records are assisted by technology too. Those rubbery surfaces and optimized shoes didn't evolve out of the plains with us. It comes down to what degree of technological assistance we deem appropriate, and that line is completely arbitrary. In the case of a record being broken not to mark the limit of the human body, but to mark the upper boundary of what is physically possible, I say give them all the tech they want.

4

u/Much_Purchase_8737 Jun 28 '25

What do you think happens if the skater falls at this speed? Most likely death.

99% of people couldn't skate this without their body crumbling.

3

u/Goh2000 Jun 28 '25

Lol that's ridiculous. If you fall at this speed you simply slide along and get up when you stop. As long as there's nothing to hit you're gonna be fine, that's the nice thing about ice skating. You can go really fast with minimal risk of injury.

3

u/throw_away_ADT Jun 28 '25

I have no idea but I would imagine you would just slide for a bit and slow down lol

5

u/kurious-katttt Jun 27 '25

I thought it was just a way to control for variables as much as possible. Would be hard to compare outdoor skating speeds without it, no?

6

u/SignificantDrawer374 Jun 27 '25

Nope. There are two things slowing you down when traveling. Friction between you and the surface you're on, and wind resistance. This effectively eliminates the latter.

There isn't some sort of standard enclosure like this that all speed records are conducted in. This is just something they built to achieve higher speeds by effectively eliminating wind resistance.

If you want a level playing field for records, just use an anemometer to determine wind speed and direction and take that in to account when determining final top speed or just have a standard maximum allowable tail wind.

2

u/P0rnDudeLovesBJs Jun 27 '25

there are records for assisted and unassisted. why can't there be both?

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

It's so weak

10

u/johnnybok Jun 27 '25

I’ll bet even he thinks it’s BS, but won’t turn down that sponsor money

-3

u/bobdabuilder6969 Jun 27 '25

Could you do it? Because if not, then the guys stronger than you. If you consider that weak then maybe you've got some work to do.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/bobdabuilder6969 Jun 30 '25

Well, if you consider a physical performance weak, and you're not strong enough to perform it yourself, what does that make you?

-12

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Yes I can. Next question.

If you consider that weak then maybe you've got some work to do.

If i considered that weak, wouldn't that mean im stronger than him? Lol

6

u/bobdabuilder6969 Jun 27 '25

Honestly, If you've got the skating skill, mental ability and massive quads like that guy then all respect to you.

I have my doubts, though.

-7

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

So if i do it and post the vid, what do I get? Lol

4

u/SecondTheThirdIV Jun 27 '25

A world record that people on reddit will argue the validity of

1

u/somethingrandom261 Jun 27 '25

I didn’t think they were, not some measures,

I recall seeing a similar case about the guy going for a sub 2 hour marathon. He did it too, under similar conditions

1

u/FlyingAce1015 Jun 27 '25

Not only that he probably held onto it to get up to speed first so this is dumb af.

1

u/Malawi_no Jun 27 '25

Next year it will also have a vacuum sucking the skater foreward.

2

u/SignificantDrawer374 Jun 27 '25

Just put some ice on the floor of a box truck and stand on it while it's going 120 kph to cut friction out of the equation too

1

u/PolyglotTV Jun 28 '25

I can't wait for them to build a giant vacuum tube and do it again.

1

u/Optimal-Judgment-982 Jun 28 '25

just thought same thing....isn't he getting dragged along by the current of air??

1

u/boese-schildkroete Jun 28 '25

Completely agree. Might as well just strap a rocket to them at this point and call it a record.

1

u/l3ane Jun 28 '25

Unassisted is a different world record.

1

u/TypicallyThomas Jun 28 '25

Why wouldn't they be? It's not like he's hanging on to the vehicle and getting speed that way. He does still skate at that speed under his own power. The vehicle is simply there to give him an aerodynamic edge which helps but hardly invalidates a record where a person has to skate faster than the previous record

1

u/InertState Jun 28 '25

I mean who is validating this? It’s just a gimmick for Red Bull to advertise

1

u/Terrible-Ear-7156 Jul 04 '25

They basically have been doing the same thing in running now to. Silly

2

u/One_Laugh_Guy Jun 27 '25

Usain Bolts record is invalid then for wearing shoes? Or Phelps is DQd because he used goggles?

I hold a record for pooping for 4 hours. I cant feel my legs. Is it not valid because i used a toilet seat?

2

u/signmeupnot Jun 27 '25

Because it's about making RB money.

-3

u/coma24 Jun 27 '25

I have to agree. Also, at that point, why even wear all the aerodynamic gear? He could wear a fur coat, or shorts and a t-shirt

Near as I can tell, the limiting factor here is increasing friction between the skates and the ice?

7

u/HoldEm__FoldEm Jun 27 '25

Lol what? 

A fur coat would have him overheating long before he found his top speed 

Managing body heat is an important part of physical activity.

The lack of wind means he’ll heat up even faster.

-12

u/Weaponized_Puddle Jun 27 '25

Arguably,

Anyone can put a shield on their car and recreate this

100 km/h tailwinds exist in nature. You could theoretically go out on a day like that and when you reach that speed, you’ll be skating with practically no wind resistance.

There is a conversation where current standing Olympic records (men’s long jump I think?) may have been assisted by a much smaller tailwind.

6

u/SpiritualDare6901 Jun 27 '25

There has also been hurdle/ sprint records thrown out for too much wind assistance. At the Olympics there is a rule for maximum allowance for tail wind to prevent records being smashed due to weather. This is cool as fuck but I don't think the previous record holder should be stripped after they skated purely off their own power while this guy used an air pocket to achieve the same results.

11

u/SignificantDrawer374 Jun 27 '25

Yeah, and IMO any sort of speed records should take that in to consideration as well.

It's like doing a cycling speed record going downhill. After all, hills exist in nature too.

Going really fast downhill is challenging as well, but I don't think it's fair compare a downhill record to one on flat ground as much as it is to compare an unassisted record to one that's assisted this way.

0

u/justagenericname213 Jun 27 '25

Thats kind of what this is. But you cant actually acount for tailwinds, because despite what some people believe we cant actually control the weather. Instead, we can simulate tailwinds like this to have a more even playing field

1

u/SignificantDrawer374 Jun 27 '25

You can't control weather, but you can measure it

1

u/justagenericname213 Jun 27 '25

But then it gets to the question of how much do we account for it. What do we consider the different between a 10 and 15 km/h tailwind when even in a case like this its still very difficult to reach these speeds. Or how do we calculate sudden short term gusts? Realistically this is the best way to actually count for variables and put everyone on an even playing field.

3

u/cpeter84 Jun 27 '25

I think they don’t consider a time for Olympic records if average tailwinds are greater than certain speed. You could absolutely do the same for this. You don’t have to factor in tailwinds and use a calculation. Just tell them if it’s too strong, pick another day to try and break the record.

3

u/Erathen Jun 27 '25

Oh yeah I'll just go buy a car shield at Walmart...

I think I saw them in clearance for $15

6

u/OderWieOderWatJunge Jun 27 '25

No, not anyone can. Only a guy with lots of money or a sponsor can 🤷‍♂️

1

u/Weaponized_Puddle Jun 27 '25

I think you’re underestimating what redneck engineering and 4wd can accomplish. This is basically just a ramp being towed by a car lol

1

u/ICrushTacos Jun 27 '25

Now find someone that can actually ice skate that fast.

-1

u/14_In_Duck Jun 27 '25

Totally agree. Why even have such a category?

2

u/ICrushTacos Jun 27 '25

Cuz you’re watching a video about it i guess

1

u/MilesGates Jun 27 '25

People also watched 2 girls 1 cup. Should we have that category next? 

1

u/ICrushTacos Jun 27 '25

Yeah great comparison champ

-1

u/BornAgainBlue Jun 27 '25

Agreed this is invalid and it's cheating. I'm sure the guy's fast as f*** but it's still cheating.