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Mixed fortunes for Lockett & Boda

 

Mixed fortunes for Lockett & Boda

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AOC
Mixed fortunes for Lockett & Boda

SHORT TRACK: Deanna Lockett has produced a quality 1000m race to qualify for the quarter-finals at the Sochi 2014 Short Track Speed Skating competition. It was an action-packed session of skating, with teammate Pierre Boda skating in the men's event shortly after Lockett crossed the line.

SHORT TRACK: Deanna Lockett has produced a quality 1000m race to qualify for the quarter-finals at the Sochi 2014 Short Track Speed Skating competition.

It was an action-packed session of skating, with teammate Pierre Boda skating in the men's event shortly after Lockett crossed the line.

Boda did not progress to the quarter-finals, but Lockett proved her mettle against a swarm of strong contenders.

In women's 1000m racing there were eight heats of four skaters each, and two from each heat progressed to the quarter-finals.

Racing in the final heat of the day was 17-year-old Lockett. After missing out on progressing in her pet event, the 1500m, Lockett was fired up for a good result in the shorter 1000m race.

Sticking back for the first couple of laps, Lockett was conserving energy for a pass when Marianne St-Gelais of Canada caused a crash taking down Jorien ter Mors of the Netherlands.

Lockett locked herself into second place and then with a lap to go, put her foot down, winning in 1:34.845.

“I think my 1500m was pretty unlucky and my race wasn’t very good,” Lockett said, “but God was fair and he gave me a better opportunity in the 1000. I’m looking forward to the quarter-final.

Although coach Ann Zhang had said that holding back at the start of the 1500m  may have been a mistake, the tactic worked perfectly this time round.

“I knew that my start isn’t that strong,” Lockett said. “I am more strong towards the end of the race. I was conserving energy for the last two laps so I was planning to do a pass, but I didn’t have to.

“I’m pretty happy. I would prefer to do it like a real race where everyone staying on their feet but that’s Short Track. I’ve been the favourite in a race and been the one that has fallen, it happens.

Falls in Short Track are a dime a dozen and with a few laps still to skate, Lockett was focused on finishing a clean race whilst also pushing for a win to secure a good quarter-finals berth.

“I just wanted to stay on my feet and make sure I didn’t fall over as well, and finish the race,” she said.

“If you get a better seeding spot it is better for quarter-final,” she added, explaining her surge into first place. “All the quarter-finals are going to be hard but if you have a better seeding position it’s going to be better.”

In other red hot action, a new Olympic Record was set by Canadian skater Valerie Maltais in the third heat. Maltais skated in 1:28.771, eclipsing Zhou Yang’s (CHN) record of 1:29.049 set at the Vancouver Games.

Heat four was packed with great skaters, with World Record holder Shim Suk Hee of Korea taking out the race ahead of Liu Qiuhong of China who was only then to be disqualified meaning Marie-Eve Drolet of Canada was second and Martina Valcepina advanced.

Four-time Olympic medallist Arianna Fontana of Italy easily won her heat and Great Britain’s Elise Christie skated like the wind to ensure she made up for her disappointment in earlier races at the Games.

With a couple of rest days before the quarter-finals, Lockett will now focus on her recovery, training and her health.

“My legs aren’t that fresh for this competition,” she said. “It’s been weird. I have been doing ice baths every day and I haven’t been able to figure out what is going on with my body but I have found out that I have an ear infection so that’s why I have been so tired as it has affected my immune system. I’m on antibiotics and we got onto it pretty early so I’ll be right.”

Boda's Olympic debut

Right off the back of the race was the men’s 500m, with Australia’s Pierre Boda racing in the first heat.

Boda drew a tough heat against Korea’s Park Se Yeong, Japan’s Satoshi Sakashita and Vladislav Bykanov of Israel.

“I felt pretty good off the line but it’s pretty tough to work your way up from the back in the 500m,” the 20-year-old said. “I skated as hard as I could. The only real opp is when it’s slow so in that first lap but everyone was too bunched up together and I couldn’t get through.”

Boda came close to punching out a personal best with 42.702 and despite not progressing to the quarter-finals, was happy with his whole Games experience.

“We have been here preparing for a while and I have been soaking up as much of the atmosphere as I could. It feels like the competition has been going for ages.

“It was especially good knowing that Australia was watching, all my family, friends and girlfriend were watching back home so that kind of spurred me on.”
Former Korean skater, Victor An, who now competes for Russia, flew over the line in 41.450 to take out his heat and put himself in a strong position for his attempt at gold.

JR Celski of the USA and Olivier Jean of Canada went tit-for-tat in their heat crossing the line just a fraction of a second apart to ensure they would both progress.

One of the hot favourites to take the gold, Charles Hamelin of Canada, slipped in his race meaning he finished fourth and would not progress any further in the competition.

Lockett will contest the 1000m quarter-final at 8.44pm local time on Day 14, Friday 21 February. She will be in the first heat against Valerie Maltais (CAN), Yui Sakai (JPN), Martina Valcepina (ITA) and Veronika Windisch (AUT).

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