The ISU Short Track World Tour has created some remarkable narratives this season – but none more thrilling than the race for the women’s ISU Crystal Globe.  

The pendulum swung between several athletes in contention: 

Kim Gilli (KOR) ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2025 Beijing, China ©ISU

The was the defending champion Kim Gilli Korean White Tigers, who started strong but missed an event due to the Asian Games, and faded at the end.

Xandra Velzeboer (NED) ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2024, Rotterdam, Netherlands ©ISU

There was Xandra Velzeboer of the Dutch Lions, who became a more rounded racer, able to contend over 1500m – but was ultimately undone by an ankle injury. 

Hanne Desmet (BEL) ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2025 Beijing, China ©ISU

There was Hanne Desmet of the Belgian Ice Bears, who was lethal over 1000m and 1500m, but ultimately got hampered by penalties. 

And there was the USA Eagles revelation Corinne Stoddard, the season’s most improved racer, who almost grabbed the Globe at the last gasp. 

In the end though, the brilliant Kristen Santos-Griswold of the USA Eagles saw off all their challenges. 

How did she do it? With great difficulty. The American had huge helpings of bad luck over the season. But again and again, she put herself in the position to win, and eventually the odds favoured her.

Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) winner of the Crystal Globe trophy at the ISU Short Track World Tour 2025 Milan, Italy ©ISU

“Bad luck was kind of the theme for me this year,” says Santos. “Honestly, it’s pretty amazing that somehow I managed to stay on top. It felt like it hadn’t been my year. It was something I have been struggling with, and it seems like such a dumb problem to have when I’m on the top. But I was not feeling that great about it at the same time. There were definitely some bad breaks, and I hope I got it all out the way for next year. I felt like I went into races really physically prepared, but things would happen either out of my control, or mentally I’d be a bit stressed. I’m not going to lie about.”

She admits that leading from the front added a new kind of pressure. “This year was a lot different for me mentally,” says Santos-Griswold. “In the past I’ve been more of the underdog, who gets to go out there and has nothing to lose, now I’ve set more of a standard, it is a different mind game. I think that’s something I want to improve on next year. That’s something every athlete goes through to some extent, that mental aspect. I don’t think it makes anyone weaker – it makes you stronger because you can push through it. Everyone’s got their thing.”

Left to Right: Corinne Stoddard and Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) ISU Short Track World Tour 2025 Milan, Italy ©ISU

“We have a really good training programme”

One thing was controllable: Santos-Griswold was in the best shape of her life. “I think it is an accumulation of the years, training hard,” she says. “We have a really good team out there in the US. Great training partners and teammates who push me every single day. Corrie [Stoddard] is one of my best friends but also one of my biggest competitors. So it’s really fun to have each other. And we have boys on our team we get to chase down during practice. I’m really lucky to be in the training programme I’m in. The coach has also been amazing. He’s helped me work on the mental aspect of my sport, because I do put pressure on myself and strive for perfection in it.”

“He’s good at reeling me in and just getting me to go out there and skate. He tells me I’m really strong to just go for it. It’s about not adding stress, and I’ve had coaches in the past that add a ton of pressure. 

“We talk, and my training plans are collaborative. We have set programmes, but everyone has their own individualisation, based around what they need to do, and how hard they want to push themselves. 

“There’s no barking or yelling about ‘you have to do this’. There is self-motivation, and that gets us further, I think.”

Santos-Griswold is also one of those rare skaters who really does excel over all three individual distances. While Kim and Desmet can struggle in the 500m, and Velzeboer favours raw speed, the American is a contender over all three distances.

Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) ISU Short Track World Tour 2025 Milan, Italy ©ISU

“That’s the difference with Kristen, I think,” says Desmet. “She is so good across the races and so she has the chance to get more points. She really doesn’t have any weaknesses.”

Santos-Griswold has made ominous progress for those rivals over the last Olympic cycle: winning her first World Championship gold, and now the ISU Crystal Globe. Next year the biggest prize of all comes onto the radar with the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. “I’m buzzing to be in Milan,” she said at the last leg of the Short Track World Tour, as she raised the Globe. “It’s so exciting. You do have the feeling of being at the Games. We all wanted to send it and work our best here.”

Another too-close-to-call season lies ahead. It will take a massive effort to dislodge Santos-Griswold from that World no.1 spot.