Elise Christie made up for just missing out on an individual medal at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships as she helped Great Britain’s women set a new British relay record.
Christie looked in fine form in qualifying for the 1500m final, winning both her heat and semi-final in Dresden – compatriot Charlotte Gilmartin failing to escape her semi-final as she finished fourth.
But Christie was unable to defend her European 1500m title as she agonisingly missed out on a podium finish as she came home fourth in the final, the Netherlands’ Jorien Ter Mors taking gold with Hungarian duo Bernadett Heidum and Zsofia Konya second and third respectively.
However Christie wasn’t done there on day one in Dresden as she returned to the ice alongside Gilmartin, Alex Stanley and Kathryn Thompson for the 3000m relay.
And the quartet not only won their heat but their time of 4:14.570 minutes was a new British record by 0.2 seconds.
The men were clearly inspired too as they followed it up by winning their 5000m relay heat, Joshua Cheetham, Paul Stanley, Jack Whelbourne and Jon Eley coming home in 6:48.440 minutes.
Earlier in the men’s 1500m, both Whelbourne and Shoebridge fell at the semi-final stage after coming second in their heats.
The gold went to Russian Semen Elistratov with Niels Kershtholt and Freek Van Der Wart, both from the Netherlands, completing the podium in second and third respectively.
© Sportsbeat 2014