Elise Christie aiming for Winter Olympics speed skating gold in Pyeongchang
Written by News on 13/02/2018
Speed skater Elise Christie is through to the semi-finals of the 500m short track as she bids to land Great Britain’s first medal of the Winter Olympics.
Christie set an Olympic record time of 42.703 seconds as she won the second quarter-final in Pyeongchang.
She beat Canada’s Kim Boutin in second, who crossed the line after crashing to the ice.
Christie goes through as the fastest qualifier meaning she will start from the inside lane in the semi-final, which takes place at 11.11am GMT on Tuesday, with the final around an hour after.
It is the same event that Christie was disqualified in mid-way through the final in Sochi four years ago.
She set an Olympic record in Saturday’s heats, although it was broken again soon after by South Korea’s Choi Min-jeong.
“With the 500m, the thing I am most nervous about is the start, because I am weak compared to the top girls at the start,” Christie said. “In the heat, my start went the best it’s went in years, so that has taken away a lot of nerves for me.
“I have belief in a new start technique I’ve been doing, so that’s built a lot of confidence.”
The 27-year-old is better known for her abilities in the 1000m event, which will come later in the Games.
Her coach, Nick Gooch, is the only other Brit to win a gold medal in speed skating.
(c) Sky News 2018: Elise Christie aiming for Winter Olympics speed skating gold in Pyeongchang
