Months of hard work, grit and determination saw five skaters from Altrincham Speed Skating club competing successfully at the British Short Track Speed Skating Championships last weekend in Sheffield after qualifying earlier this year in time trials.
After a gruelling two days of racing, with early starts and spills & thrills, the racers from Altrincham placed highly in the competition and cemented their overall standings in the country.
Hannah Grant (18) - 6th for Junior girls
Helena Lathwell-Watts (15) - 3rd for Juvenile girls
Oliver Sherard-Bornshin (12) - 8th for PeeWee boys
Isla O'Hara (11) - 2nd for Peewee 2 girls
Oliver Gotts (10) - 6th for Peewee 2 boys
Many of the skaters posted personal best times across the two days of intense skating action, with speeds that can reach in excess of 30mph with razor sharp skate blades of 15-17".
Skaters battled it out against each other, racing across a variety of distances, ranging from 222 metres through to 1500 metres. Competing skaters, including Winter Olympians Elise Christie and Kathryn Thomson, also represented clubs from across Great Britain.
“Short track skating is a fast and exhilarating sport,” said Altrincham’s coach Pat Treacy. “We’re thrilled to have so many Altrincham Club skaters competing at the British Championships this year and are proud of their success, it is simply fantastic to have them place so highly in the country and spotlight Altrincham, It’s testament to months of dedicated training.”
"We train on a Sunday evening from 8:15pm to 9:15pm at, Altrincham Ice Rink and welcome skaters of all ages and abilities. If you are interested in trying, joining or sponsoring a friendly, passionate club, then please contact Sally at sbornshin@sky.com"