Irish Wolfhounds Complete Third World Tour
Sean McAnuff (Co. Antrim) and Liam O’Brien (Co. Cavan) have completed the penultimate leg of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Gdansk, Poland this weekend.
The Irish Wolfhounds embarked on the opening day with qualification rounds in the 1500 and 500 metre distances. First up in Heat 4 of the 1500 Heats was O’Brien. An early take off from another skater during the second lap saw the pace increase rapidly and the race was attritional with O’Brien eventually crossing the line in fifth with a time of 2:23.577. In Heat 8 McAnuff took the lead from the start until things picked up with eight laps to go. He came home third in a time of 2:30.080.
The 500 metre Preliminaries were next on the agenda for Team Ireland. O’Brien got tailed off right at the start of Heat 8 and never got back into the race finishing fifth with a time of 43.326. McAnuff was immediately on the ice after in Heat 9 and he was in second place all most of the race before being edged out on the final lap to come third in a time of 42.953.
Later on McAnuff and O’Brien returned for the 500 metre Repechage Heats. O’Brien was drawn in starting position four of Heat 3 and maintained that place from gun to the finish in a time of 43.089. McAnuff appeared in Heat 10 and errors by others enabled him to rise up into second place on Lap 3 and hold until the end. Unfortunately, his time of 43.716 was not enough to advance any further.
McAnuff and O’Brien concentrated on the 1000 metres on the second day of competition. The Preliminaries were first on the agenda. O’Brien raced in Heat 3 and finished in fourth place with a time of 1:29.305. McAnuff was right up after in Heat 4 and the race was a leisurely affair until midway through when the pace began to pick up. McAnuff managed to keep in touch with the leaders until the penultimate lap when he was dropped and finished third in a time of 1:31.547.
Both Irish Wolfhounds were drawn in Heat 4 of the 1000 metre Repechage Heats. The race was eventful to say the least. With just over three laps remaining McAnuff was vying for the lead when his blade clashed with the skater in front of him and they both crashed out. O’Brien managed to stay out of the way and finished in fourth with a time of 1:29.024. McAnuff got back up and took sixth place in a time of 1:56.092. He was subsequently advanced to the Repechage Quarterfinals.
On the third day of the event O’Brien and McAnuff faced the 1500 metre Repechage Quarterfinals. O’Brien lined up in Heat 7 and placed third with a time of 2:28.859. McAnuff took on Heat 8 and finished fifth in a time of 2:25.386.
McAnuff was the last Irish Wolfhound standing on the final day of the event for the 1000 metre Repechage Quarterfinals. He raced in Heat 4 and concluded this World Tour stop with a sixth place with a time of 1:29.945.
