kat is aiming for a learning brief
While Elise Christie unashamedly goes for gold in PyeongChang, the girl who has followed the same path to South Korea admits her targets are more modest.
Christie is taking part in her third Winter Olympics, but 22-year-old Kathryn Thomson is very much the baby of the three-woman short-track speed skating team.
“I’m going to these Games to soak up all the atmosphere, the glory, have fun and get as much experience as I can,” says Kilmarnock-native Kat.
“The idea is that I can go to the next one, put in solid performances and get results.
“If I come out of the races saying I’ve tried my best, and used the best tactics, I’ll be happy.
“However I do, it can be a success as long as I can learn from it.”
Christie headed f ro m Livingston to the National Pe r f o r m a n c e Centre in Nottingham at 15 and Thomson made the same move at 16. But insists she wasn’t copying her team-mate’s career path.
“Of course, I’d heard of Elise, but I didn’t consciously make the same decision she had,” says Kat.
“I wanted to stay at school then go to university, but it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I should grasp.
“I struggled a lot with homesickness. A new city was daunting as I was young and away from everyone I know.
“But I was taken in by a host family, the mum and dad of two skaters on the programme, and they really looked after me.
“Elise has been a role model because of how she trains every day. She shows you what you have to do to be the best.
“She sets the benchmark and she’s really inspirational.”