Winter Olympics: Team GB’s Elise Christie has no fears despite 500m fall

Christie ‘ready to go again’ after 500m final crash

Team GB short-track speed skater Elise Christie is confident of winning a medal at the Winter Olympics despite crashing out of the 500m final.

Christie returns to the rink on Saturday for the 1,500m and on Tuesday will compete in the 1,000m – her favourite event. After missing out in Tuesday’s 500m final she says she is “ready to go again”.

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The 27-year-old told Eurosport: “I picked myself up the next day [after the final], I even felt better that night. I’ve had so much support from back home, which is incredible. I’ve heard from Jessica Ennis and Kelly Holmes and they are my two biggest heroes and it’s overwhelming they’ve messaged me.

“This is a total opposite feeling to Sochi and I feel ready to go again. I’m super focused for the 1,000m, which is my last event, because that’s my favourite and best distance. I’m just getting back on track for that and I’ll still be racing fearless. I’m trying to enjoy the moment I’m in and not focus on everything that has gone wrong.”

Christie says she knows she can do well in the 1,500m but the distance won’t be what she focuses on. “It’s about having a race and getting ready for the 1,000m,” she says. “However, I know I’m capable of medalling in it because I’m the world champion at 1,500m too. It’s nice to finish with my best event but I’ll be looking to get that medal this weekend too.”

Parsons in the mix for a medal

Dom Parsons is in fourth place at the halfway stage of the men’s skeleton and is in with a chance of winning Team GB’s first medal at PyeongChang 2018.

Korea’s Sungbin Yun enjoys a seven tenths of a second advantage over the field but it’s tight for the other medal places. Nikita Tregubov, an Olympic Athlete from Russia, lies second ahead of Latvia’s Martin Dukurs. Parsons clocked 1:41.26 for his two runs and is just three hundredths off a medal position.

The skeleton competition finishes tomorrow. When asked about his chances Parsons said: “It’s what I’ve been working on for the last four years. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves too much. I’ll just focus on the next two runs first.

“I think blocking it out is a bit counter-productive. I’ll be just make sure I’ve done all the work I need to do before I try to switch off and use something to distract me, a TV show, reading a book or whatever.”

Svindal, 35, becomes oldest alpine champion

Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal has become the oldest Olympic alpine skiing champion after winning the downhill gold medal aged 35.

Svindal, who finished 0.12 seconds ahead of compatriot Kjetil Jansrud, told the BBC: “It feels pretty good. I’m extremely happy. The record is a thing you think about after, but right now it’s just the emotions when you cross the finish line and you see that you’re ahead. That’s bigger than any record.”