Elise Christie’s decision to put her Winter Olympics heartbreak behind her by jumping straight into this week’s World Championships sets her out from her competitors, according to fellow Great Britain skater Jack Whelbourne.
Chrisite, the current European 1000m champion, went into last month’s Sochi Olympics tipped as one to watch but ended up being penalised in all three of her events.
However she gets a chance to bounce back almost immediately as part of a seven-strong team that heads to Canada for the World Championships.
She will compete in the same three events as Sochi, starting with the 1500m on Friday before the 500m and her favoured 1000m event – in which she won bronze in at last year’s World Championships – over the weekend.
And Whelbourne, who himself saw his own Games end badly when he crashed out of the 1500m final, believes the fact Christie will even take to the start line in Canada shows her mental toughness.
“Elise has obviously found it difficult but I think she's coped with things a lot better than some of her fellow athletes would have done,” said Whelbourne, who will also compete in Canada.
"They maybe would not have gone to the World Championships and looked at getting medals. They would have wanted to take a break and call the season done.
"But Elise wants to go out there and feel like she's achieved something worthwhile this season. I think what she did at the Olympics has already massively put her sport on the map."
© Sportsbeat 2014