Britain’s short track speed skaters blitzed the opposition at the International Invitation Cup in the Netherlands at the weekend winning eleven titles of a possible twelve.
The women had a particularly successful meet with Elise Christie taking the women’s overall classification title, and Charlotte Gilmartin following up in third. Christie was delighted after her wins and commented:
“ I’m really happy with my performance this weekend. It was a really solid start to the season and I hope I can keep building on this success throughout the year and all the way up to Sochi 2014. It’s also great that the rest of the team have raced so well too and won events, because it gives me a lot of confidence in the training we’ve been doing.”
Following Christie’s success in the 500m, 1000m and 15000m events the team secured victory in the 3000m relay. The team, which featured Elise, Charlotte Gilmartin, Kathryn Thomson and Alex Stanley, held their nerve to sneak victory from the Germans in a tense final.
Charlotte Gilmartin also impressed over the weekend, taking silver behind Christie in the 500m. She also clinched a bronze in the 1500m just behind Bernadett Heidum from Hungary. The team will look to build on their success as they work towards qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Performance Director Stuart Horsepool said:
“For the girls to come into their first competition together as a team and beat well established teams like the Germans is fantastic. Hopefully the girls can build on this success through the season and make an impact at Sochi in 2014.”
Beth Shine, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
