Three golds for inline speed skater star

Hamilton Roller Skating Club's Scott Moody won three gold medals, two silvers and a bronze at the National Inline Speed Skating Championships.

He was skating earlier this month in Palmerston North (road racing) and Wanganui (flat track).

Scott's first gold came when he came within 0.2sec of lowering the national road racing time trial record for the masters Grade. He then took silver in the road 500m in a close race.

The other four medals came during flat track racing in Wanganui, where Scott won the track time trial and the 1000m, and was second in the 500m and third in the 5000m.

As a teenager in the 1990s, Scott was a national freestyle and pairs roller skating champion, but he had always wanted to have a go at speed skating, so when speed coach Eileen Hughes started coaching in Hamilton he decided to give it go.

Two other younger skaters from the club also competed well at nationals. Campbell McRobbie made the final in juvenile boys and Josh Hughes in junior achieved personal bests in all his races.

All three skaters are in their first year of competition.

"I was thrilled with their performances," said Hughes. "I've got high hopes for next year with mores skaters from Hamilton expected to compete."

The skaters train at the Hamilton Roller Skating Club's skating rink on Melville Park.

Any one interested in trying speed skating can be at the rink when Sunday morning public skating sessions start again on February 3, or phone Kathy on 855 2523 or Pearl on 847 4527.