The OWI short track speed skating team has come away from the opening two World Cups of the season with a relay result that puts them closer to their nearest rivals, Germany, Russia, France and Great Britain.
The OWI short track speed skating team has come away from the opening two World Cups of the season with a relay result that puts them closer to their nearest rivals, Germany, Russia, France and Great Britain.
The team finished in ninth place in the second World Cup in Beijing and are looking to make further improvements when the season resumes in North America at the end of this month.
In the season opener in Harbin, Mark McNee was the best of the Australian team in the individual events, winning his preliminary round of the 500m, then finishing third in his heat to miss qualifying for the semifinal round, but place 18th overall.
In the second event in Beijing, the best overall individual performances came in the 500m, with Alex McEwan, Mark McNee and Elliot Shriane all making it through the preliminary rounds into the first heat.
Unfortunately all three were eliminated at that stage, with McEwan ending the event in 24th place, McNee 25th and Shriane 27th.
Mark McNee was the best of the OWI athletes in the 1500m in Beijing, finishing in 23rd place.
In the 5000m relay, the team placed third in its heat behind Korea and Great Britain, missing a place in the semi-finals, but taking the ninth place on time and distance classification.
The two events have been dominated by Korean Hyun-Soo Ahn and US skater Apolo Anton Ohno. Ahn, the overall world champion for the past two years, won all four events in Beijing, with Ohno taking silver in three and bronze in the other. In the Harbin World Cup the pair had shared the gold medals two apiece.
The team finished in ninth place in the second World Cup in Beijing and are looking to make further improvements when the season resumes in North America at the end of this month.
In the season opener in Harbin, Mark McNee was the best of the Australian team in the individual events, winning his preliminary round of the 500m, then finishing third in his heat to miss qualifying for the semifinal round, but place 18th overall.
In the second event in Beijing, the best overall individual performances came in the 500m, with Alex McEwan, Mark McNee and Elliot Shriane all making it through the preliminary rounds into the first heat.
Unfortunately all three were eliminated at that stage, with McEwan ending the event in 24th place, McNee 25th and Shriane 27th.
Mark McNee was the best of the OWI athletes in the 1500m in Beijing, finishing in 23rd place.
In the 5000m relay, the team placed third in its heat behind Korea and Great Britain, missing a place in the semi-finals, but taking the ninth place on time and distance classification.
The two events have been dominated by Korean Hyun-Soo Ahn and US skater Apolo Anton Ohno. Ahn, the overall world champion for the past two years, won all four events in Beijing, with Ohno taking silver in three and bronze in the other. In the Harbin World Cup the pair had shared the gold medals two apiece.
