Dordrecht Day 2: Christie is back!

Elise Christie is back in action this weekend and results so far are better than expected. Day two was also the Liu brother’s day as the Hungarian stars climbed on the podium together twice.

By Carl Savard

Photos by Bert van Lobenstein

1500m - Christie is back!

In an effort worthy of Sir Winston Churchill's quote “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Great Britain’s all time best short track speed skater Elise Christie came back to the competition this weekend and climbed on the podium on 1500m winning a silver medal. Christie hadn’t compete since the Pyeongchang Olympic games in February of 2018. At the end of day 2, the 28-year-old shared her joy on social media: "Somehow this happened today! 2nd at European championships! I know that last year or the years before I would have been disappointed with second place! But after all the challenges I’ve faced recently and how bad I’ve felt my fitness has been, I’m super happy! Thanks for all the love everyone!” Suzanne Schulting crossed the finish line in first place while Sofia Prosvirnova won the bronze medal. On the men’s side, the Liu Brothers finished first and second with Shaolin getting the gold medal and Shaoang the silver. Russia’s Semen Elistratov finished in third place.

500m - Maliszewska and the Bros!

If Suzanne Schulting has been controlling the field on 1000m this season, Poland’s Natalia Maliszewska is becoming a household name on 500m. The 23-year-old just added a gold medal from the European championships to her international medal collection after amazing results on the World cup circuit so far this season. Maliszewska was joined on the podium by Italy’s Martina Valcepina (silver) and the Netherlands’ Lara van Ruijven (bronze). On the men’s side, the Liu Brothers finished once again first and second but Shaoang won gold this time while Shaolin won the silver medal. Russia’s Pavel Sitnikov finished third to grab the bronze.

Day 3
Semi-finals in the relay events were also held on day two. In the men’s 5000m relay, France, Russia, Hungary and the Dutch team will fight for the title while the same countries plus Italy will battle for the title in the women’s 3000m relay final on day 3. On the individual part of the competition, athletes will compete on 1000m. There will also be a 3000m super final on the men’s and women’s side.

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