Elise Christine wins third event of the championships
The final day of the championship began the same way as the previous day did for Elise Christie of Great Britain: with victory. She won the ladies 1000 m in dominant fashion, crossing the line ahead of Suzanne Schulting (NED). Anna Seidel (GER) finished in third place, while Charlotte Gilmartin (GBR) took fourth place, as the other skater in the final. The win provided Christie enough points to clinch the European championship title, going into the final event.
In the men’s competition, championship leader Semen Elistratov (RUS) extended his lead with a win in the 1000 m finals. He too dominated the race, by leading it from start to finish. Close behind was Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) who crossed the finish line in second place, while Dmitry Migunov (RUS) finished third. Vincent Jeanne (FRA) was fourth, and earned important championship points. Elistratov’s win provided him with enough points to clinch the European championship title before entering the final race of the weekend; the remaining two podium places were still up for grabs.
Charlotte Gilmartin wins the Ladies 3000 m Super Final
Entering the ladies 3000m Super Final, the second and third podium spots in the overall ladies’ championship standings were still to be determined. Charlotte Gilmartin (GBR) took the win in the event, to clinch second place in the overall classification, five points ahead of Suzanne Schulting (NED) who clinched third in the overall standings. Ekaterina Konstantinova (RUS) crossed the line in second place in the 3000m Super Final, followed by Lara van Ruijven (NED). Anna Seidel (GER) finished fourth while Christie (GBR) took fifth place. Unfortunately, Schulting was given a penalty in the event, and ranked eight.
Double French podium in the Men’s 3000 m Super Final
Eights skaters took to the start and with Elistratov already clinching the championship title, the remaining podium places were to be determined. Vincent Jeanne (FRA) and Sebastien Lepape (FRA) took the top two spots in the Men’s 3000 m Super Final, with Jeanne taking the win. The win gave him enough points to clinch the third podium spot in the overall ranking, while the fourth place finish in the event secured second place in the overall standings for Shaolin Sandor Liu. Bartosz Konopko (POL) crossed the finish line in third place in the 27-lap event. Defending European Champion Sjinkie Knegt (NED) concluded his individual race weekend with a fifth place finish in the Super Final, finishing the championship just outside the podium in fourth place overall.
Netherlands dominates both the relay events
Netherlands finished first in the Ladies 3000 m Relay final, crossing the line ahead of Russia. Italy earned the bronze medal finishing ahead of Hungary. In the Men’s 5000 m Relay final, Netherlands took the European championship title with a first place finish. Hungary finished in second place, while Great Britain took advantage of a late race slip up by Russia to finish third.
Upcoming ISU Short Track Speed Skating events include the ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria from January 29-31, 2016, and the ISU World Cup 2015/16 series resumes in Dresden, Germany from February 5-7, 2016.