Speed skating is one of the most unique sports out there. Make the competitors race in circles, leaning in to the turns as though their lives depended on it, wearing helmets that look straight out of a sci-fi movie, and that’s speedskating. In fact, it’s probably the leaning that is the most remarkable part. These guys get parallel to the ice as they hug the corners. The whole time you’re watching, you’re thinking, “they’re going to fall, they’re going to fall, they’re going to fall.” They never — well, rarely — do, however. In truly impressive displays like this world-record performance by J. R. Celski, you get the sense of an almost mechanical ability, like those little cars on the racetracks that you would control with a remote as a kid. Except, they’re not machines; they’re just people who are really, really good at speedskating.