The National Ice Skating Association (NISA) is celebrating after achieving its best results in more than 20 years in the last key event of the season.
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships saw the best skaters in the world take to the ice in Turin, Italy, fresh from Vancouver’s Winter Olympics.
Edinburgh’s Sinead and John Kerr finished 5th in the Ice Dance with the highest British finish since Karen Barber and Nicky Slater in 1984.
The ice dance couple, who are seven times British Champions, secured season and personal best scores in all segments. Their total score of 189.11 dramatically improved on their 8th place Olympic finish.
Ladies skater Jenna McCorkell from Coventry secured the highest position from a British skater at a World Championships for 17 years. She finished 14th out of 55 international skaters achieving a personal and season’s best score of 150.90.
Ice dance pair Stacey Kemp from Preston and David King from Carlisle produced a solid performance to finish 16th, matching their Olympic results despite Stacey recovering from illness.
20-year-old Men’s skater Matt Parr, from North Shields, Newcastle, impressed judges in his first senior World Championships by becoming the first British man to successfully complete a triple axel and triple lutz combination in a senior ISU Championship. Matt scored a personal best in the short programme improving on his score at the 2009 European Championships.
Sheffield based Christina Chitwood and Mark Hanretty also competed in their first World Championships to finish 23rd overall. During their ice dance disciplines they finished an impressive 20th place in the Original Dance.
Keith Horton, chief executive of NISA, said: “British skating is very firmly back on the World stage with skaters in the top 5 of ice dance, top 15 Ladies and top 16 pairs.
“Every member of the performance team during the 2009/10 season has been a credit to our sport and exceptional ambassadors for British sport when travelling abroad.
“The skaters can now have a well earned rest before they start competition again in the 2010/11 season. Well done to you all.”
