The European Championships has been a happy hunting ground for Elise Christie in recent years but the Sochi 2014 Olympian is determined to show she is not just about speed and strength when she competes in Dordrecht this weekend.
Christie and her fellow Great Britain skaters step up their preparations for March’s World Short Track Championships with the 2015 European Championships in Holland, which start on Friday.
Christie will take to the ice as the reigning 1000m European champion while she won the 1500m event two years ago in Malmo.
An outing in the 500m is also on the cards for Christie, who is joined in the women’s senior squad by Charlotte Gilmartin.
Christie experienced Olympic Games heartbreak last year when she was disqualified in all three events but she has bounced back by taking two bronze medals at the World Cup meeting in Seoul in December.
This season has seen her concentrate on race tactics in a bid to avoid the same outcomes as Sochi and the 24-year-old was looking forward to putting them to the test against Europe’s best skaters.
“I’m definitely looking to retain my 1000m title, that’s the main goal. But then I’ve never won a 500m European medal so that would be nice,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to putting in some good performances this weekend ahead of the Worlds as well as putting some new skills to the test.
“I’ve been working hard on my tactical skills, strategy and racing lines the past few months. I used to rely on my physical strength and speed to come through but I’ve taken a step back and looked more at the tactics.
“It’s been really good, it’s actually taken my nerves away more as I’ve been working on my weaknesses.
“I remember at the start of the season thinking another four years to go until the next Olympics was such a long time, and how was I going to cope.
“But we’re almost getting to a year on from Sochi and three years to go and it will soon come around.”
© Sportsbeat 2015