Great Britain short track performance director Stuart Horsepool has urged his skaters not to take their foot off the gas at this weekend’s penultimate ISU World Cup event in Dresden, Germany.
British skaters return to action for the first time since last month’s European Championships, which saw Elise Christie crowned overall champion after winning the 500m and 1500m races.
They will be up against more than 200 of the world’s best skaters from 36 nations as the World Cup circuit reaches Europe for the first time this season.
Christie will be joined in the ladies events by Charlotte Gilmartin while Jack Whelbourne, Jon Eley, Richard Shoebridge, Paul Stanley, Billy Simms and Josh Cheetham make up the men’s team.
And, with just one more World Cup event to come in Turkey before the World Championships in Moscow in mid March, Horsepool is looking for his troops to continue putting in the top level performances.
“Fresh out of the European Championships, the morale is high amongst the squad and Elise’s success has given them an extra boost,” he said.
“We need to remain focused on the task ahead though as speed skating is such an unpredictable sport.
“This weekend in Dresden and the final ISU World Cup competition in Turkey will provide the skaters with an ideal opportunity to put their training into practice on the world stage ahead of the ISU World Championships in five weeks time.
“We’ve had a mixed season so far, and we started off rusty, but that was to be expected at the start of a new Olympic cycle.
“As we’ve progressed through the season, I’ve seen big improvements in all of the skaters as they’ve developed their skills. It’s competitions like the ISU World Cup that really help the skaters to hone their skills and learn from their mistakes.”
© Sportsbeat 2015