7:30am Tuesday 1st December 2009
By Ned Payne
ICE skating prodigy Isabella Larkin scooped her biggest title to date as she won gold at the British Ice Figure Skating Championships at iceSheffield.
The 13-year-old Swindonian performed the best short and long programmes in the novice ladies category to give her victory in the 29-strong field.
Another Swindon skater, Carmen Lee, also competed and finished 20th overall.
Larkin made the British Championships after she won qualifying events in Sheffield and Deeside in recent months.
She was 12 when she started the qualifying rounds, and it is widely viewed as a huge achievement to win both those events and the British title in one year.
Larkin won the championships after finishing on 85.29, three points ahead of second-placed Lana Bagen, of Olympia, and more than 13 ahead of Nottingham’s Nina Povey.
The teenager, who was pitted against competitors up to two years her senior, is coached by her grandmother, Lesley Norfolk-Pearce, at the Link Centre.
Norfolk-Pearce told the Advertiser that the youngster had taken her performances up through the gears in recent months, culminating in the national triumph.
“Up until August she was not landing some combination jumps as frequently as we would have liked,” said Norfolk-Pearce.
“She had grown quite a lot and when you’re jumping that does throw you off balance quite a bit.
“But she just suddenly improved and after she won both of the qualifiers we felt it (winning the British title) was a possibility. I’m very proud of her.
“I think it took a little while to sink in with her - I don’t think she thought she would do it.”
Few could deny Larkin’s commitment to her sport. She is up in the early hours every weekday for a two-hour training session.
This is followed by a full day at school, and then more training on certain days.
All this has to fit round her school work and, when she gets the chance, a social life.
Her next big competitions are overseas in Slovenia and Italy, in February and April respectively.
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