Stratford has her eyes firmly on second title

The Ricochet team which won the Senior Mini Precision national title.

Wanganui's Rachael Stratford has kept herself in with a shot at a second national title as the New Zealand National Rollerskating Championships approach the business end at Jubilee Stadium tomorrow.

Stratford claimed the first national title of the event when she out-performed 16 rivals to win the Novice Ladies Figures championship at the start of the week.

She has now made it through the eliminations for Novice Solo Dance to get into the Top 7 for the finals, which will be held on Saturday.

Wanganui have also got their hands on some other medals as Sharon-Rose Riddell finished third in the Juvenile Girls Figures, while Julia van Niekerk also claimed bronze in the Preliminary Ladies Figures.

Mary-Ann Thomson, of Skate New Zealand, said the locals were holding their own among stiff competition from the country's best.

There were also a few near misses to the podium as Riddell finished fifth in both the Juvenile Girls Freeskating and the Juvenile Solo Dance.

Emily Smith was unlucky to end up fourth in the Preliminary Ladies Freeskating and fifth in Youth International Figures.

Her cousin Hannah Smith was fourth in the Junior International Ladies Figures, as they had been in the hunt for Oceania team.

In other noteworthy results, Upper Hutt's Emma Hazelwood is the new national champion in the Senior International Ladies Solo Dance, as the pupil stepped firmly into the shoes, or rather skates, of her mentor.

Hazelwood was coached by the former 2012 champion Sarah Jane Jones, who retired at the end of last year.

The Senior Mini Precision national title was won by the Ricochet team, combining from Auckland and Mt Wellington groups.