SHORT TRACK: At first glance, Deanna Lockett looks like a typical shy young teenager. The diminutive, softly spoken 17-year-old has all the appearances of someone who couldn’t hurt a fly – that is, until she is out on the ice.

Lockett is Australia’s leading hope in the rough and tumble sport of short track speed skating and once the skates are on - the shy aura is lost completely.

“You have to be very aggressive,” she said with a sweet smile and a laugh, “You have to push everyone from the start and then you have to hustle and pass each other throughout the race.”

Lockett is riding high off the back of an impressive 2012/13 season where she won a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in Warsaw as well as posting a career-best fifth place in the Nagoya World Cup.

“She had a successful season,” Head Coach Ann Zhang said. “So far she is on the right track, she is getting stronger both in gym and on ice. She will pick up the speed endurance training in the next stage for World Cups 1 and 2 and then she’ll head to the Olympic Qualifying competition in November.”

Zhang has identified strong potential in her young charge, but notes the areas she will need to improve on to edge her way into medal contention for Sochi and beyond.

“She will need to pick up her speed and speed endurance pace to lead the racing faster at the end or her race,” Zhang said. “Or make the racing faster from beginning then use her strength racing to the finish line.”

Since the end of the season, Lockett has been working on this speed and endurance and is feeling strong and confident with her preparation.

“I am feeling really good,” she said. “We have been doing lots of top speed work on the ice, and power in the gym. I’m feeling more physically stronger this season than last season.”

She will get a chance to show her strength next week at the Australian Open Championships, taking place in Melbourne from 30 – 31 August.

“I’ll be using the Australian Open as an introductory event to get back into racing again,” Lockett said. “I have not raced since World Championships in March, so I need to get my head back into the racing mind-set again. It is also great to see how I am going compared to other female skaters in Australia.”

Attendance of the Championship is a prerequisite for athletes to be considered for inclusion in the World Cup team so all 11 shadow team athletes will be looking to post fast times and show they are ready for Sochi.

Lockett is looking to use the upcoming World Cup season to not only qualify for Sochi – but build her racing strategy and performance levels.

“I want to be racing very strong and tough,” she said, “I would like to be finishing in the top 10. I am working to ensure that my peak for this season is not too early, as I want to have the peak of my season in February at the Olympic Games. I still want to be skating as best I can for the early stages of the competition season.”

Head Coach Zhang is pleased with the progress of Lockett and the rest of her squad, having just come off a solid 19-week training block.

“The preparation has been going well...on the road, in the gym, a camp in Korea with most top skaters in June and of course lots of ice sessions as well,” she said.

Despite the good progress and apparent talent, Zhang is conscious that this group of athletes is the youngest she has ever had leading into an Olympics and is looking to Pyeong-Chang in 2018 for the real medal potential.

“Almost everyone was born after 1990 and there are four skaters who were born after 1995,” Zhang said. “But we have some talents in this group, as you can see with Deanna. She was on a fast track from a club skater to be an international top 10 skater – and in only three years.”

The Australian Open Championships will be held on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 August at The Icehouse in Melbourne.

Alice Wheeler
olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam