CHARLOTTE Gilmartin claimed second placed finishes in two distances and second position in the overall classification as the Great Britain Short Track speed skaters put in a good performance in Germany at the first event in the 2014/15 Star Class Cup series.
The squad – who are all part of the National Ice Skating Association’s (NISA) World Class Short Track Performance Programme – won one gold, five silver and one bronze medal in Dresden, along with two second placed finishes and one third placed finish in the overall classification.
Among those medalling were Nottingham-based skaters Gilmartin, of Redditch, Billy Simms, Josh Cheetham and Kathryn Thomson. Simms was in good form, taking gold in the senior men’s 1,500m and silver in the 500m and 1,000m, placing him second in the overall classification.
Cheetham followed closely behind, taking third place in the overall classification after winning the silver medal in 1,500m.
Gilmartin also put in a strong performance in the senior women’s event, finishing second across 1,000m and 1,500m to put her in second place in the overall classification.
Performance Director, Stuart Horsepool, commented: “I was really pleased with the quality of the competition in Dresden at the weekend, both from the GB skaters and that of other countries. The whole idea is to go there and develop their racing skills and it has given them lots of areas to work on and develop ahead of the next race of the season.
“We’ve also come away with our fair share of medals which, combined with the experience they’ve gained from the competition, makes for a successful weekend of racing.”
Thomson claimed the bronze medal in the women’s senior 500m race, placing her in fifth place in the overall classification, while Jack Burrows showed consistency by finishing in the top eight in all of his races.
The event was the first of six Star Class events scheduled for the 2014/15 season, which culminate with the Europa Cup Finals in March next year. The fastest eight skaters from East and West Europe will go on to compete at the Junior Europa Cup Final in Germany between March 20-22.
The focus for the squad now turns towards their next big weekend of racing between November 7-9 when the senior squad will head to Salt Lake City, USA, for the first event in the ISU World Cup Series, whilst the juniors will compete in the annual Alta Valtellina Trophy in Bormio, Italy.
Jon Eley, Paul Stanley, Richard Shoebridge, Jack Whelbourne, Simms, Cheetham, Elise Christie and Gilmartin have all made the selection for World Cup 1, while the rest of the squad will compete against the rest of Europe in the Alta Valtellina Trophy.
