Whanganui speed skaters back from World Champs

Chase Morpeth was caught up in a pack crash in pre-worlds training on the track.

New Zealand’s inline speed skating team recently competed at the World Champs in Alte Ceccato, Italy.

The five-strong team of Andrew Jones and Chase Morpeth from Whanganui, Serenity Griffith from Palmerston North, Erin Green from Blenheim, and Mikaela McDonald from Nelson, travelled to Italy on August 19 to compete on the banked track, road and marathon circuits over seven days between August 26 and September 3.

The skaters were accompanied by Roxanne Green from Blenheim in the role of coach and Scott and Dale Morpeth (Wanganui) in the roles of manager and assistant manager.

There were certainly highs and lows for the team, during this trip. Unfortunately, Andrew Jones and Chase Morpeth were caught up in a pack crash in pre-worlds training on the track, with Andrew sustaining a broken elbow, rendering him unable to compete.

Whilst the Worlds was a very well-run event, the 200m banked track proved a challenge for many of the competitors and the medical teams, due to the nature of the hybrid parabolic banking and the narrow 6m wide track.

This resulted in issues with large packs changing directions and speeds while sprinting at speeds of over 50km/h for world titles – survival of the bravest!

All New Zealand skaters, except Blenheim’s Erin Green, experienced falls throughout the competition but gained valuable experience to build on for future campaigns.

The team’s best result came with Chase Morpeth of Wanganui, making it through the heats to finish 11th in the Junior Men (Under 19) 10km Elimination Race on the banked track. Whilst Morpeth was aiming for a top-10 finish at this event, it was not to be.

Morpeth came down with six other skaters in the second 10km points elimination on the banked track putting him out of contention for this race. Also, his two favoured road races did not go his way, with a tactical error preventing him from getting to the final in the 10km points elimination, and a serious fall in the 15km elimination, ending his chances there too.

“None of our team managed to complete the 42km marathon around the streets of Alte Ceccato, which was won by eight times world champion Bart Swings,” said team manager Scott Morpeth. “Our team lacked the resilience on the cobble roads so common on the European circuit but again benefited from this valuable experience,” he said.

Jones and Morpeth stayed on in Europe, to be joined by Whanganui’s Krystine Davies and Jerome Allen, and Chase’s father, Scott, to compete in the Berlin Skating Marathon on September 23.

Chase overcame his recent misfortunes in the marathon event, by smashing his personal best by over seven minutes to complete the course in 1 hour 5 minutes to finish in 65th place.

Andrew Jones, who had not skated in over six weeks, and with the cast freshly off his arm, finished in a creditable one hour 11 minutes. Krystine Davies won the 60+ women’s master’s grade by over 7 minutes, finishing in 1 hour 16 minutes.

Jerome Allen finished in 1 hour 28 minutes and Scott Morpeth completed his first marathon at the age of 63, in 1 hour 52 minutes.

“The 5000-strong skater field in Berlin made this a bucket-list experience for our five-strong Whanganui contingent,” said Scott Morpeth.