Speed skating keeps funding

SPEED SKATING is unlikely to suffer a serious cut in funding despite Elise Christie’s glaring failure to win a medal in Pyeongchang. The team are backed to the tune of £4.76million by UK Sport and were tasked with winning one to two medals. They returned zero, with Christie failing to make finals in two of her three events and being upgraded to a fourth in the 500m after a crash. It has been a desperately disappointing trip to the Games, but Sportsmail understands the skating set-up will not suffer a severe cut so long as Christie sticks with the sport. That has previously been in doubt with the Scot considering moves to cycling or skeleton, but she is currently adamant she will stay with skating until Beijing 2022. Owing to her status as a three-time world champion, she satisfies the criterion of podium potential.