Speed skaters’ golden haul

Three young Blenheim speed skaters are celebrating a slew of gold medals from the Oceania Championships where they had one of the club’s most successful runs in recent memory.

The girls dominated both the Cadet Girls Grade and the Junior Ladies Grade in the 2022 Oceania Speed Skating Championships in Timaru on September 10 and 11.

They brought home nine gold medals and two silvers between them, drawing special mention from New Zealand coach Bill Begg about the strong Blenheim competitors.

Their success was a relief for Paige Horne, who said she was a bit worried in the days before about whether a nasty spider bite on her leg would affect her performance.

‘‘But it was good. It was interesting.’’

Not only did she come home with medals, she even managed to avoid any dramatic crashes or falls, as there were a few in her races, she said.

There were also a couple that celebrated too early and got pipped at the post.

Covid-19 had caused many cancellations since the pandemic’s early days two years ago, so the girls were pleased for the opportunity to race at an international standard.

Junior Ladies Grade entrant Erin Green was among the outstanding skaters for winning all six titles in her division. She also won first place in the Junior

Ladies relay, having teamed up with Mikaela Macdonald from Nelson.

Cadet Girls Grade entrant Paige Horne came first in the 5000-metre points elimination and second in the half-marathon, while fellow cadet Lily Pontague came second in the 5000m points elimination, and first in the halfmarathon.

Paige and Lily also teamed up with Nelson’s Emily Olthof to win the Cadet Girls relay, and were second equal for overall aggregate in the Cadet Girls Grade.

They were thrilled by their win but there was no celebrating at the finish line exactly, Lily said.

‘‘When you finish the race, you don’t really know you’ve won until you get the results ... because it’s all about the points.’’

The speed skating calendar would continue for the girls with the Southern Open Day on October 1, and more events in the New Year.

Blenheim’s Hannah Winterburn will also leave for Whanganui at the end of September to represent NZ at the 2022 Oceania Artistic Championships.

ANTHONY PHELPS/STUFF Lily Pontague, Erin Green and Paige Horne, l-r, won gold at the 2022 Oceania Speed Skating Championships in Timaru, photographed at Blenheim’s College park skate track.