Cornelius Kersten recorded the best-ever result for a British long track speed skater at the European Championships this weekend. His 4th place finish in the 1000m is the best performance for Britain in 130 years of the competition. He was just 0.53 seconds off a podium place as Dutch skaters secured the top three spots.
It was an incredibly successful weekend for the whole GB squad with Ellia Smeding and Gemma Cooper both recording top-ten finishes.
Smeding came eighth in the 1000m, with the top six places dominated by Dutch and Russian skaters. She finished an impressive ninth in the 1500m and came home in 11th in the 500m.
Cooper showed her racing prowess as she picked up a ninth place in the women’s Mass Start. She won three sprint points on the eighth lap to ensure her own top-ten finish.
Stephen Airey, Development Manager, said the performances were “outstanding”. He added that they were “without doubt the best European Championships results we’ve ever had. Fourth, eighth, ninth, ninth and 11th is nothing short of the stuff of dreams”.
Kersten will next be in action on 8th February as he races in the 1000m at the Olympic Winter Games. He’ll be on the start line at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing after a season that has gone from strength to strength.
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