Category: Armstrong Lazenby

3 x top-12 performances for Lockett at Junior World Championships

2/3/2015

OWIA/VIS Short Track Speed Skating athlete Deanna Lockett has achieved finals performances in all three distances over the weekend at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Lockett advanced through to the semi final stage of the 1000 and 1500 metres distances, but was unable to progress to the main final, finishing in eighth and tweltfh place. In the 500 metres, Locketall was unable to progress through the quarter final round, recording a 12th place result.

Australia had three athletes contest the men's individual diances, with Armstrong Lazenby, Andy Jung and Keanu Blunden all in action.

Armstong Lazenby was the leading individual distance male performer, with a 22nd place in the 1000 metres. Andy Jung was our most conistent male, with three performances indide the top-26.

The men's relay team, which featured Australia's three individual male skaters with the addition of Alex Bryant as the fourth team member, finished in 15th place.

The team will now have one week off before heading to Moscow, Russia, for the World Championships on March 13-15. Competing for Australia will be Deanna Lockett, Pierre Boda and Armstrong Lazenby.

Lockett continues to impress

22/12/2014

Deanna Lockett has achieved two top 5 placings at the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup event in Seoul, which wrapped up today.

The 19 year-old Olympic Winter Institute athlete (OWIA) followed up her impressive fourth placing in the 3000 metres last night with a fifth placing today in the 1500 metres.

Fellow OWIA representative, Pierre Boda had a fantastic weekend also. Boda qualified for the World Cup directly from the qualifying rounds for the very first time in the 1000 metres, eventually finishing in 13th position overall. He also set a new Australian record in his Quarter Final race, clocking a very impressive one minute 26.053 seconds.

Alex Bryant, Nate Henry and Armstrong Lazenby all skated well in their respective individual disciplines on the weekend and coach Anthony Barthell said “overall the guys are skating well and gaining a ton of experience”.

Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the season so far for the Aussie men was in the 5000 metres relay. Boda, Henry, Lazenby and Bryant put in a fantastic performance to place sixth overall. Barthell said the relay was one of the best performances he has seen from his charges so far.

IMAGE: Deanna Locket in action earlier in the season © Tony Chung

Another A-Final for Lockett

21/12/2014

Olympic Winter Institute athlete Deanna Lockett has finished fourth in the A-Final of the 3000 metres on Day 2 of the Short Track World Cup Speed Skating event in Seoul. The strong Korean contingent took out three of the top four placings, with Lockett finishing the final in a time of five minutes 57.101 seconds.

Lockett now has her sights set on making the A-Final of the 1500 metres on Sunday when she contests the semi-final early tomorrow afternoon. Following her season best fourth placing last weekend in the 1500 metres in Shanghai, Lockett will take a lot of confidence into tomorrow.

In the Men’s 1000 metres, Armstrong Lazenby was unable to make it past the repechage quarter final after finishing fourth in a time of one minute 34.392 seconds.

Nate Henry and Alex Bryant both finished fifth in their respective 1500 metre repechage heats, meaning they too did not qualify for the next stage.

Pierre Boda can consider himself unlucky after drawing a tough heat in the Men’s 1000 metres Quarter Final, where he finished fourth in a time of one minute 26.053 seconds. To put the toughness of the group into perspective, Boda’s time was quicker than each of the winners of the other Quarter Finals.

The Aussie Men’s 5000 metre relay team will contest the B-Final tomorrow, where they’ll face off against Kazakhstan, Hungary and Japan.

Good day for Aussies

20/12/2014

Day 1 of the Seoul Short Track World Cup Speed Skating event has produced good results for Olympic Winter Institute athletes Deanna Lockett and Pierre Boda.

Following her season best 4th placing last weekend in the 1500 metres in Shanghai, Lockett has continued her excellent form, qualifying directly for the semi-finals after winning her heat in a time of two minutes 43.308 seconds.

Lockett has also qualified for the 3000 metres semi-finals after a 2nd placing in today’s heat.

In the Men’s 1000 metres, Pierre Boda made it through the preliminaries and then backed up with a strong performance in his heat, in a time of one minute 28.251 seconds, to gain direct access to the quarter finals.

Armstrong Lazenby will have to make it through the Repechage on Saturday if he is to make it back into the main field.

Nate Henry and Alex Bryant will both need to back up tomorrow in the Repechage of the 1500 metres after missing out on a direct passage today. Bryant was impressive however on his return from a training injury last week, and finished 4th in his heat, in a time of two minutes 48.838 seconds.

Both athletes face the same scenario in the 500 metres after finishing 3rd and 4th respectively in the preliminary rounds.

Pierre Boda capped off a great day personally by finishing 3rd in his qualifying heat of the 3000 metres, and thereby making it through to the semi finals. Armstrong Lazenby was in a tough heat and finished 9th, however, he finished in a good time of four minutes 59.691 seconds and will take some confidence from this performance into the Repechages.

The final event of the opening day saw the Men’s 5000 metres relay team in action, and it was great news, with the boys finishing second to the Dutch in a time of six minutes 58.062 seconds to gain a direct passage to the semi-finals.

Lockett narrowly misses first World Cup podium

15/12/2014

Talented Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) athlete Deanna Lockett has had her best result of the World Cup season so far, finishing fourth in the A Final of the 1500 metres at the short track event in Shanghai, China.

Just 0.068 seconds separated Lockett from a podium finish, and with her strength and improved tactical and strategic aspects of her racing, confidence is growing that a place on the podium may not be far away.

The result marks personal best for Lockett in the 1500 metres and sees her climb to sixth overall in the World Cup standings.

Lockett was also in action competing in the 1000 metres event, where she was unable to progress beyond the Quarter Finals finishing in 14th place.

Pierre Boda was in action in the Men’s 500 metre Repechage heats and progressed through to the Repechage Semi Finals where he finished fourth, just missing out on a Quarter Final spot. Boda finished in an overall placing of 21st.

Boda also made it through to the Repechage Semi Finals of the 1000 metres, where he finished second, just missing out on a Quarter Final berth. Boda skated well finishing in a time of one minute 31.363 seconds and an overall finish of 19th.

Coach Anthony Barthell was pleased with Pierre’s performance and improvement in controlling races and utilising the track more.

In the Men’s 1500 metres, both Nate Henry and Armstrong Lazenby just failed to progress from the Repechage heats, finishing third in each of their heats and an overall finish of 31st and 32nd places.

Nate Henry also competed in the second 500 metres event in Shanghai, where he advanced through to the repechage Quarter Finals, and a final placing of 24th.

The OWIA Short Track Speed Skating Team now heads to Seoul, Korea, for the fourth World Cup of the season which will take place next weekend.

IMAGE: The OWIA Short Track Speed Skating Team in Shanghai

World Cup Two wraps up in Canada

17/11/2014

The Montreal Short Track World Cup event concluded on Sunday (Canadian time) with just two Olympic Winter Institute (OWIA) athletes in action.

First up was Pierre Boda, who made it through the first two repechage rounds before his run ended in the Repechage Semifinal for an overall 22nd placing.

Deanna Lockett, having qualified on Friday direct to the quarterfinal round, was unable to progress any further, narrowing missing the required top two result in a very tight finish. She was placed 12th overall.

The team now has a competition break until the Shanghai World Cup starting on December 12.

Armstrong Lazenby missed the Montreal event having injured himself in training prior to the start of racing. He’ll be looking to be back in action in China.

As well as Deanna Lockett’s strong performances in Salt Lake City, the other highlight of the two-event tour was the performance of young skater, Andy Jung, who set a new 500 metre Australian Senior Mens Overseas record in the repechage quarters on Saturday of 41.304 seconds.

Action continues at World Cup Montreal

16/11/2014

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On day two of competition of the Montreal Short Track Skating World Cup, four Olympic Winter Institute (OWIA) athletes were back in action following on from the qualifying rounds on Friday (Canadian time).

Her opening day second place in the heats saw Deanna Lockett straight through to the Semifinal of the 1500 metres. But the 19 year-old could progress no further, finishing fifth in her race to take 13th place overall.

In the men’s 500 metres, Andy Jung and Nathaniel Henry needed to work their way through the repechage system to get back into the main draw.

Both started well, each finishing second to make it through to the Repechage Quarterfinals. Here Henry’s run ended, but Jung again progressed with another second placing in a time of 41.304 seconds.

But the young skater’s progress ended in the Repechage Semifinal, however the OWIA skater had completed a good weekend of 500 metre racing, gaining valuable racing experience in the four rounds he contested.

Jung’s result secured him an 18th placing from the 43 starters, while Henry was 26th.

In the men’s 1500 metres, Pierre Boda progressed through the Repechage Heats but was then knocked out in the Repechage Semi to finish 25th in the 38-strong field.

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Lockett makes strong start in Montreal

15/11/2014

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Australian short track skater, Deanna Lockett, completed a successful opening day of the second World Cup of the 2014/15 season qualifying straight through to the next round of competition in both the 1500 metre and 1000 metre races.

Competing in Montreal, Canada, the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) athlete won her 1000 heat in a controlled time of one minute 39.866 seconds, beating skaters from China, Japan and Italy to book her place in the next round, the quarterfinals, on Saturday (Canadian time).

In the 1500 metre heat, Lockett took second place behind China’s Yutong Han to secure a spot in the final on Sunday (Canadian time).

Australia’s men skaters will be forced to try to progress through the repechage rounds after failing to take the direct route through to the finals.

The program had two separate 500 metre races. In the first, OWIA athletes Andy Jung and Nathaniel Henry missed a qualifying spot in the heats and will now be in action Saturday morning (Canadian time) in the repechage.

The pair also took part in the 1000 metre World Cup race, but also missed the direct passage to the next round and will need to progress through the repechage.

In the second 500 meters, Pierre Boda was in action, but he will now have to wait until the repechage on Sunday to see if he can work his way back in to the main draw. The same challenge awaits the 2014 Olympian in the 1500 metres.

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Lockett takes sixth in Salt Lake City

10/11/2014

Australian skater Deanna Lockett has completed a strong finish to her campaign at the opening event of the new World Cup season by finishing 6th in the 1000 metres In Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Olympic Winter Institute athlete successfully moved through the early qualifying rounds last Friday, and in the quarter finals today finished second to progress to the semi-finals, from where the top two from each would make it to the A Final.

Locket, 19, came up against two dominant Korean skaters in her semi and narrowly missed making to the final having finished a close third.

The B Final was cancelled, leaving Lockett officially in 6th place, adding to her 8th in the 1500 metres yesterday.

"The semi- final was difficult with the two Koreans, as they were looking to block me, but even though it's difficult I have to learn to deal with that,” Lockett said. “I suppose the positive about their tactics is that it shows they are thinking about me now.

"I used too much energy in my quarter finals, which is another thing I have to keep improving – knowing that I can save energy for the semi-final and hopefully final going forward."

"I am really happy with how my first World Cup of the season went, I have definitely improved but I still have a lot of things I know I need to work on and hopefully I can make further improvements during the season."

In the men’s competition both Nathaniel Henry and Lazenby Armstrong were in action in the 1000 metres, taking part in the repechage heats. Armstrong was knocked-out, finishing third for an official 32nd place overall. In a promising performance, Henry made it through both the repechage heats and the repechage quarterfinals to finish in 24th place.

The next round of the ISU Short Track World Cup will be held in Montreal Canada from November 14-16.

Top 10 for Lockett at season opener

9/11/2014

Deanna Lockett has finished eighth in the 1500 metres at the opening round of the 2014/15 Short Track World Cup season in Salt Lake City in Utah.

The Olympic Winter Institute athlete was forced to make her way through the repechage on day two of competition after missing the direct route to finals on the opening day. She started well, reigniting her campaign with a strategic win in the 1500 metre repechage to get her through to the semi-final. A slow time allowed her to conserve energy for her later races.

In the Semi, the young Australian came up against two Koreans, who set a very fast pace to take the two A Final places, leaving Lockett, who crossed the line third, a place in the B Final.

Lockettt produced another good performance there to finish second to Canadian Valerie Matais, to take 8th place overall with a time of two minutes 24.689 seconds.

"I still need to learn where to position myself in the race with the faster girls," Lockett said at the end of the race

“I got caught up a bit in the middle of the semi final, and could not really fight for the lead."

"However, I am pretty happy after first race of the season. I have learnt a lot already this year ?and look forward to learning and improving more throughout the season.”

In Men’s 1000 metres, both Boda, by finishing second, and Jung, with a fast qualifying time, made it through the repechage round to make it back in to the draw. But their run ended in the next round, with Boda securing an overall result of 25th with Jung 30th.

Armstrong Lazenby and Nathaniel Henry did not progress through the 1500 metre repechage, both being knocked out of the competition to claim 33rd and 35th respectively.

The final day of the World Cup concludes tomorrow, with Lockett looking to make the finals in the Women’s 1000 metres.

The Australian male athletes in Salt Lake City

Olympians Lockett and Boda dominate Australian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championships

4/10/2014

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Pierre Boda (L) races against Andy Jung (R) (IMAGE: AIR)

Olympians Deanna Lockett and Pierre Boda have taken out the women’s and men’s titles at the 2014 Australian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championships, their first major event under new head coach Anthony Barthells.

Lockett made history in the opening session of racing, becoming the first woman to make a men’s A Final at a National Championships.

No stranger to skating with her male teammates in practice, it was a different experience in a race environment when she took on Boda and four other men in the final of the 1500m.

“It was pretty cool to be the first one to do this,” Lockett said. “I didn’t expect to make the final at all. It can be a bit intimidating racing the men because they are so much bigger than me but I was happy with how I went.

“Racing the men here, is like the level I will face at the World Cups, so it was good practice for me.”

Boda took out the 1500m title in 2:32.666, closely followed by national team member Armstrong Lazenby with Zach Biggs of New Zealand taking third. Lockett was impressive to finish fourth.

The 1500m was the first of five titles for Boda, who proved his dominance in what is an increasingly talented depth of male skaters.

The 21-year-old took out the 500m in a thrilling race that saw teammate Andy Jung challenge him for the win over the final few metres with a photo-finish needed to judge the winner. Boda defended his 2013 title by just 0.019 of a second with both athletes and Nate Henry all skating under 43 seconds to prove the rise and rise of sprint skating in the Australian men’s ranks.

On the final day of racing, Boda made sure he took the clean sweep of titles, adding the 1000m, 3000m and 5000m relay to his swag.

“I’ve been working really hard over the last couple of months but everyone’s been skating really well so to come away with wins over all the distances fells great,” Boda said.

“Last year I missed the clean sweep by one race so I was happy to get it this year but more so just happy to be skating stronger and smarter and against a really good group of guys.”

New coach Barthells and his athletes will now turn their attention to the World Cup circuit with five events taking place in November and December in the USA, Canada, China, South Korea and Germany.

Lockett and Boda will be joined on tour by teammates Andy Jung, Armstrong Lazenby and Nate Henry – and Barthells holds out high hopes for them as they take their first big international steps into the next Olympiad.

“I just want to see them go out and skate their all,” said Barthells who most recently was assistant coach to the US Olympic Team.

“It all looks very promising. They’ve already made some changes since I came on a couple of months ago and I’m excited for the future of the sport here. The results will come and I’m pretty sure they’ll have some personal bests.”

The four developing young men will look to not only perform well as individuals but also form a strong bond as a relay team as they take on the best in the world in an event they hope to grow into in coming seasons.

“That’s my biggest goal – to have three spots for the men and a relay spot - for PyeongChang,” Barthells said. “They [the men] train together every day so they have that team camaraderie. They are great guys and they look out for each other and want to make each other better.”

As for Lockett, Barthells sees only the brightest of futures for the young star who is now based in the USA where she can train with other young women of her calibre.

“She’s super strong,” he said. “I’m hoping she’ll be World Champion and I’m sure she will be in the top five soon.”

For more information please contact:

Alice Wheeler
media@australianiceracing.org

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Lockett, Boda Australia's best in Olympic Qualification events

15/11/2013

The fourth and final World Cup of the Olympic qualification season has taken place in the Russian city of Kolomna, and with their Sochi dreams on the line, Australia's short track speed skaters were ready to put it all on the line.

The first event of the competition was the men's 1500m. After making it through the preliminary round, Pierre Boda was the only Australian to move through the first round of racing to make the heats. The 20-year-old AIS athlete drew one of the fastest heats of the night, and was unlucky to finish fourth in 2:21.977 and miss out on a quarter-finals berth. Boda finished the highest of the Australian’s in 33rd with Armstrong Lazenby 60th and Nate Henry 77th.

In the women’s 1500m, AIS World Junior Championships medalist Deanna Lockett advanced to the quarter finals, but the race did not go her way, receiving a penalty and disqualification which would prevent her from progressing into the semi-final. Lockett finished in 33rd place, with Alix-Myra Anderson 40th.

In the 1000m distance. Boda progressed through the first round of racing but was defeated into fourth place in the preliminary round. His teammates, Simon Francis and Nate Henry, were unable to progress through their opening rounds. Boda again was the highest place finishing in 56th, with Nate Henry in 57th and Simon Francis 60th.

Deanna Lockett achieved the highest Australian placing at the Kolomna World Cup in the 1000m distance, finishing in 23rd place after failing to advance through to the quarter final round. Alix-Myra Anderson finished in 37th.

Competing in the 500m, Pierre Boda was again the leading Australian male, finishing in 27th place. Behind Boda were Armstong Lazenby in 51st and Andy Jung in 78th. Australia’s only female competitor in the 500m, Alix-Myra Anderson finished in 55th place.

The relay combination of Pierre Boda, Nate Henry, Armstrong Lazenby and Andy Jung were unable to progress past the heats in the 5000m, finishing fourth in a time of 6:57.636 and an overall placing of 16th.

The AIS Short Track program will now eagerly await news of quota spots earned for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. The International Skating Union (ISU) will inform National Olympic Committee’s on the allocation of quota places by December 21.

Lockett 15th in Italy

10/11/2013

Competing in the first of two Olympic Qualification events, Australian athletes have made a mixed start to their Sochi campaign in Torino, Italy.

AIS Short Track Speed Skater Deanna Lockett produced the leading performance of the meet, with a 15th place finish in the 1500m. Alix-Myra Anderson finished in 47th place in the same distance.

Australia's leading male performance in the 1500m distance was Pierre Boda in 42nd, with Nate Henry 62nd and Andy Jung 76th.

In the 500m event, 16-year-old Andy Jung produced the best result of his World Cup career in his third event, placing 24th. Also competing in the event were Pierre Boda in 39th and Armstrong Lazenby 47th.

The 1000m saw Deanna Lockett again record the best placing, finishing in 33rd, after receiving a penalty and disqualification, which meant she was not able to advance to the quarter finals. Pierre Boda matched his result from the 1500m, finishing 42nd with Nate Henry 55th and Armstrong Lazenby 64th.

The men's relay team, featuring skaters Pierre Boda, Nate Henry, Armstrong Lazenby and Andy Jung finished in 13th place, their best result of the season.

The AIS Short Track now heads to Kolomna, Russia, for the second Olympic Qualification event.

Tough weekend for Aussies in Short Track World Cup

6/10/2013

Photo: Deanna Lockett leading at the first World Cup of the season in China IMAGE: ISU

The second of four World Cups for short track speed skating was held in Seoul, Korea, over the weekend.

All seven Aussies were in action, with the men's and ladies' 500m and 1500m kicking off the Cup.

Deanna Lockett cruised through the heat of her pet event - the 1500m, coming third in 2:28.370 to see her go through to Saturday's quarter-final.

Lockett's teammate Alix-Myra Anderson was fourth in her heat meaning she missed a quarter-final berth. She was also fourth in the pre-preliminary of her 500m, ruling her out of progressing in that distance.

Of the three Australian men in the 500m, Pierre Boda and Armstrong Lazenby made it through the first round but were unable to hang on in the second. Simon Francis did not record a time. Boda was joined by teammates Nate Henry and Andy Jung in the 1500m, however none of the Aussies progressed past the initial round.

On Day 2, both Deanna Lockett and Alix-Myra Anderson coasted through the preliminary round to make the heats of the ladies' 1000m.

In the heats, Lockett drew her former teammate Tatiana Borodulina. The pair trained together for much of Lockett's formative years in the sport, before Borodulina returned to her birth country of Russia to compete for them at next year's Olympics.

Lockett was third, edged out by Borodulina by just 0.096 seconds meaning she missed a quarter-finals berth. Anderson was fourth in her heat in 1:33.989.

Melbourne skater Nate Henry was the only male skater to progress past the first round. Henry placed third in his preliminary of the 1000m in 1:29.026, behind 500m World Champion Liang Wenhao of China and Daniel Zetzsche of Germany.

Henry then joined Pierre Boda, Armstrong Lazenby and Andy Jung for the men's 5000m relay with Australia having drawn Russia, Japan and Great Britain in their heat. The Aussie men couldn't keep the tough pace set by their competitors, ending in fourth in 7:12.776.

On the third day, Deanna Lockett was in action in her pet event, the 1500m.

After being edged out by her former teammate Tatiana Borodulina in the 1000m, Lockett suffered the same fate in the 1500m quarter-final, placing fifth and missing a semi-final berth.

Lockett and her Australian teammates will now look to re-focus ahead of the all-important Olympic Qualification World Cups, coming up in November in Italy and Russia.

Story credit: www.olympics.com.au

Lockett 13th in opening World Cup

28/9/2013

Deanna Lockett leads the field in the women's 1500m final at the Australian Short Track Speed Skating Championships © Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The AIS short track speed skating team have ended their first World Cup campaign of the season in Shanghai, China.

AIS athlete Deanna Lockett was Australia's best performing athlete, finishing 13th in the 1500m - a solid start to her Olympic qualification.

The 17-year-old cruised through the heats and quarter-finals of her favoured 1500m event but her luck came to an end in the semi-final on Saturday night.

Half way through the 13.5 lap race, the field of six skaters had a definitive split. Despite a late surge from Lockett she was unable to reach the lead group, finishing fourth in 2:22.321 to book a place in the B-Final.

Faced with tough competition in the B-Final from China, Canada and Italy, Lockett finished in fifth position - 13th overall.

She also contested the 1000m but was unable to progress past her first race.

Australia's other female skater, Alix-Myra Anderson, had better luck in the 1000m coming in second behind World Champion Elise Christie of Great Britain in the pre-preliminary race.

Anderson then contested the preliminary round of competition, where she skated 1:37.710 to finish fourth and thus not progress through to the heats. Anderson also competed in the 500m.

There was no luck for the Aussie men in their 1500m, with AIS athletes Pierre Boda, Nate Henry and Andy Jung all missing out on a quarter-finals berth. Boda, Armstrong Lazenby and Simon Francis also contested the 500m but were unable to progress.

On Day 2 in the men's 1000m, Boda and Lazenby both progressed through to the preliminary stage but were unable to finish in the top two positions needed to advance.

The pair were then joined by Nate Henry and Andy Jung to contest the 5000m relay. In a tough draw against Russia, USA and Germany, the Aussie team were competitive but were unable to gain a top-two spot to make the semi-final. Their time of 6:57.273 would have been enough to get them over the line in two of the other three heats.

The second World Cup will take place from 3 October in Seoul, Korea.

Article courtesy AOC/Alice Wheeler | http://www.sochi2014.olympics.com.au

Lockett Australia's best in Shangai WC

27/9/2013

Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder, Deanna Lockett, has been Australia's best performer on day one of the Short Track World Cup event in Shanghai, China.

Lockett finished third in her heat of the 1500 metres for Ladies, moving through to the quarter finals.

However, it wasn't such a good day for Australia's other short track speed skaters.

Alix-Myra Anderson, Andy Jung, Nathaniel Henry, Pierre Boda, Simon Francis and Armstrong Lazenby were all knocked out of their respected events on the first day of competition.

Lockett will be hoping to move through the quarter final stage on day two, in what has been an exciting week for the Queenslander.

She was name one of Australia's top five young aspiring athletes, and as a result will receive a 2014 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.

Lockett will receive mentoring from Olympic gold medalists Steve Bradbury, Susie O'Neill, Kieren Perkins and Liane Tooth, as well as surfing great Lane Beachley.

Another good day for Lockett at Junior Worlds

24/2/2013

Following her bronze medal in the 1500 metres yesterday, Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder, Deanna Lockett, is ranked sixth in the 500 metres after two days at the Junior World Championships.

Fellow Australian short track skaters, Pierre Boda, Armstrong Lazenby and Nate Henry are 20th, 30th and 38th respectively.

"I did not expect Deanna to go that far in the 500m, because she is not a 500m skater," Australian coach, Ann Zhang, said.

"Since the 2012 nationals she has not skated the 500 metres at the past six World Cup events, however, she did race well.

"The Junior World Championships is a race skill, which is why she has made it this far.

"Deanna still has the 1000m to go tomorrow, and the plan is to make the top six overall."

The ISU Short Track Junior World Championships in Warsaw, Poland, continue on Sunday.

Impressive Lockett ranked fourth in the world

24/2/2013

Australia's 17-year old speed skater, Deanna Lockett, has finished the 2013 World Junior Championships ranked fourth in the world, following a break-out performance in Warsaw, Poland.

The Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder started her World Championship campaign brilliantly, winning a bronze medal in the 1500 metres on the opening day, and continued her good form over the remainder of the three-day meet.

Lockett, from Queensland, finished sixth in the 500 metres, ninth in the 1000 metres, and then capped off her weekend with third place in the 1500 metres Super Final, although this race was not for medals.

On combined results she finished as the fourth best skater, a position which thrilled Australian team coach, Ann Zhang.

"Deanna's fourth place in the overall rankings is the best place ever by an Australian," Zhang said.

"I am very happy with her results, as she was up against 66 skaters, and finished behind two Koreans and a Chinese."

Of the other Australians competing in Poland, Pierra Boda had a great final day, finishing 13th in the 1000 metres and moving his ranking to 18th overall.

Armstrong Lazenby was 43rd in the 1000 metres (30th place overall), while Nate Henry was 31st in the 1000 metres (37th overall).

While the short track season has come to a close for Australia's junior skaters, Julie Jung will contest the senior World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, beginning on March 8.

Lockett wins Bronze at World Junior Championships

23/2/2013

Deanna Lockett with her Bronze medal from the 1500 metre final.

Australian Short Track Speed Skater, Deanna Lockett, has won a bronze medal in the final of the 1500 metres at the Junior World Championships in Warsaw, Poland.

The 17-year old Queenslander finished less than four hundredths of a second behind Korean skater, Do Hee Noh, to take her first medal in international competition.

Lockett powered through the early stages of the competition, winning both her heat and her quarter final, on the way to the semi-finals.

She took second place in her semi, just behind eventual winner Do Hee Noh, to reach the six-skater final, where she faced two Koreans, two Chinese and a Russian.

Recent illness has taken its toll on the young Australian, with team coach, Ann Zhang, designing special warm up drills before her races.

However, it was this preparation, along with Lockett's clever race tactics, that helped her to secure the bronze medal.

The ISU World Junior Championships continue until Sunday, with Lockett and fellow Australians, Pierre Boda, Nate Henry and Armstrong Lazenby in action.

Final results - Ladies 1500 metres

1. Do Hee Noh (KOR), 2m32.853s
2. Evgeniya Zakharova (RUS), 2m33.164s
3. Deanna Lockett (AUS), 2m33.214s
4. Alang Kim (KOR), 2m33.665s
5. Yutong Han (CHN), 2m33.881s
6. Han Xiao (CHN), DNF

Lockett heads short track improvement

11/2/2013

Australian short track speed skater, Deanna Lockett, has finished the 2012/2013 World Cup season impressively, finishing inside the top 20 in both the 1000 and 1500 metre competitions after six events.

The 17-year old was 13th overall in the 1500 metres, and 17th in the 1000 metres, a remarkable result for such a young skater.

Her season included personal best times over both distances, with a fourth and a fifth place along the way.

“They are remarkable results for the young Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder,” Australia’s head coach, Ann Zhang, said after the final event in Dresden, Germany.

“Deanna has been challenging the top skaters from around the world this season, skaters who are five to 10 years older than her.

“She made the A final in the 1500 metres in World Cup 3 in Japan, and has consistently made the B final in the same event.

“Her best result was in China, were she made the A final in the 1000 metres and finished an incredible fourth, just missing out on a medal.”

Lockett finished the season in Germany last weekend, finishing 23rd in the 1500 metres, despites suffering from the flu.

Her team-mates, Pierre Boda and Armstrong Lazenby, were also sick, but skated well.

Boda was 27th in the men’s 500 metres, while Lazenby was 28th in the 1500 metres.

The fourth member of the team, Julie Jung, had to sit out the second day of competition because of a hip injury.

With less than 12 months to go before the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, the Australian team is progressing well.

“Julie finished the season 29th in the 500 metres and 35th in the 1000 metres, but is getting stronger and skated faster this season,” Zhang said. “She also set PBs in both events.

“Pierre was 46th in the 1000 metres and 49th in the 500 metres, also setting PBs, while young Armstrong, who turns 17 this week, has also stepped up from a club skater to an international level skater.

“He has improved in all distances at World Cup level, setting personal best times in the 500, 1000 and 1500 metre events.”

The Australian team still has the Junior and Senior World Championships to come, in February and March respectively.

After a training camp in Dresden, Lockett, Boda and Lazenby will compete in the Junior Worlds in Warsaw in two weeks, while Jung will contest the Senior Worlds in early March.

Lazenby sets a PB in Short Track World Cup event

10/2/2013

Armstrong Lazenby has set a personal best time of 1 minute 28.580 seconds in the 1000 metre event at the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup event in Dresden, Germany.

However, it wasn't all good news for the Australian team, with team-mate, Julie Jung, injuring her hip in the 500 metre heats and having to withdraw from the competition.

Team coach, Ann Zhang, reports that all the Australian skaters have come down with the flu since travelling from last weekend's event in Sochi, compromising their performances in Germany.

Despite this, Deanna Lockett finished third in the B Final of the 1500 metres, finishing in 11th place overall.

Pierre Boda also performed solidly, finishing 33rd in the men's 1500 metre (1) event.

"Julie had to withdraw so that she can regain fitness for the upcoming World Championships," Zhang said.

"Hopefully the flu doesn't affect our performances too much on day two."

The racing in Dresden continues on Sunday.

Jung performs well in Sochi

4/2/2013

Australia’s Julie Jung has performed strongly in the 500 metre (2) event at the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup meet in Sochi, Russia.

Jung moved from the repechage heats into the quarter-finals, where she finished third, just missing out on a place in the semis.

Her performance netted her 12th place in the 500m (2) section.

Her team-mate, Deanna Lockett, made the repechage semi-final of the 1000 metres, but a coming together with Italian skater, Cecillia Maffei, saw her finish the semi in fourth place, and 21st overall in the 1000 metres.

Young Aussie skater, Armstrong Lazenby, finished 30th in the men’s 500 metre (2) event.

The Australian team now move to Dresden, German, for the final World Cup event of the season.

Four PBs for Aussie skaters in Sochi

3/2/2013

Australia's short track speed skaters are having a successful meet at the World Cup event in Sochi, Russia, setting four personal best times.

Twelve months out from the Olympic Winter Games at the same venue, Australia's young team continue to improve.

Deanna Lockett (1000m and 1500m), Julie Jung (500m) and Armstrong Lazenby (500m) all set personal best times, with Lockett the standout performer.

Skating in the 1500 metre event, the Melbourne athlete made it through to the B Final after finishing fourth in the semi-final. In the semi she beat Zhou Yang, the 2010 1500 metre gold medal winner, and Czech skater Katerina Novotna, to move into the final.

Fatigued from her busy program, Lockett finished sixth in the B final, and 12th overall. However, team coach, Ann Zhang, was impressed with her results.

"I am so happy with Deanna's performance here. With one year to go she does need to build lots of strength, then she will be able to challenge the top skaters in the race," Zhang said.

Racing continues today.

Aussie skaters take a step forward

29/10/2012

Australia’s Short Track Speed Skaters have put in an encouraging performance at round two of the ISU World Cup in Montreal, Canada, with young star Deanna Lockett the best performer.

The Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder finished 11th in the 1500 metre event, and 13th in the 1000 metres after a much-improved performance over results of the opening round of the World Cup last week.

“Deanna is getting stronger and stronger and this was her best race day in her skating career,” team coach, Ann Zhang, said.

“In the B final of the 1500 metres she passed the Canadian skater on the last lap and would have moved into 10th, but unfortunately she fell just before the finish line.

“She finished 11th and I am so happy about her performance, because it is her best race - much better than last year.”

Pierre Boda continued to skate well and is getting stronger in international competitions. He was 26th in both the 500 and 1000 metres for men.

Julie Jung skated well to finish 18th in the 500 metres (2), while Lachlan Hay was 31st in the mens 1500 metres after just missing out on a semi-final place.

Nate Henry and Armstrong Lazenby both finished in 29th place in the 500 (1) and 1000 metres events, with Ronnie Caldecutt 36th in the 500 metre (2) distance.

Round three of the ISU World Cup is in Nagoya, Japan, at the end of November.

Hay, Lockett dominate National Championships

9/10/2012

AIS short track speed skating athletes Lachlan Hay and Deanna Locket have both put in dominant performances at the National Championships held at the Canterbury Ice rink in Sydney.

Lockett won three of a possible four events following outstanding performances in the 1000, 1500 and 3000 metre distances giving the 17-year-old the overall women’s title for the championships.

AIS team-mate Julie Jung won the only event not won by Lockett, the 500 metre distance.

In the men’s event, Lachlan Hay took out the overall title after winning the 1500 and 3000 metre distances. Pierre Boda continued his strong sprint event form winning the 500 metre event with New Zealander Blake Skjellerup victorious in the 1000 metres.

The relay team of Lachlan Hay, Pierre Boda, Armstrong Lazenby and Ronald Caldecutt put in a strong performance to comfortably win the relay event by two laps.

Overall Classification
Men
1 - Lachlan Hay (AIS/AUS)
2 - Pierre Boda (AISAUS)
3 - Blake Skjellerup (NZL)

Women
1 - Deanna Lockett (AIS/AUS)
2 - Julie Jung (AIS/AUS)
3 - Alix Myra Anderson (AUS)

For full results, please click here.

The event served as a great lead in to the opening World Cup event of the season, which takes place in Calgary, Canada, from October 19 to 21.

<<Previous

3 x top-12 performances for Lockett at Junior World Championships

Lockett continues to impress

Another A-Final for Lockett

Good day for Aussies

Lockett narrowly misses first World Cup podium

World Cup Two wraps up in Canada

Action continues at World Cup Montreal

Lockett makes strong start in Montreal

Lockett takes sixth in Salt Lake City

Top 10 for Lockett at season opener

Olympians Lockett and Boda dominate Australian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championships

Lockett, Boda Australia's best in Olympic Qualification events

Lockett 15th in Italy

Tough weekend for Aussies in Short Track World Cup

Lockett 13th in opening World Cup

Lockett Australia's best in Shangai WC

Another good day for Lockett at Junior Worlds

Impressive Lockett ranked fourth in the world

Lockett wins Bronze at World Junior Championships

Lockett heads short track improvement

Lazenby sets a PB in Short Track World Cup event

Jung performs well in Sochi

Four PBs for Aussie skaters in Sochi

Aussie skaters take a step forward

Hay, Lockett dominate National Championships

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