Local in-line speed skater Paisley Perrie has returned from a national competition in Quebec with gold medals in nine events and a spot on the Canadian team for the world championships in Italy this fall.
Perrie, 15, finished first among 15- to 20-year-olds in the 300, 500 and 1,000 metre sprints, as well as the 10 and 15 kilometre track events.
The track portion of the Canadian In-line Speed Skating Championships was held July 14 to 15 in Quebec City, where Perrie broke her own Canadian records in the 300m and 500m events.
After just one day’s rest, she competed at the national road course championships in Laval, placing first in all four of the distances she entered: 200m, 500m, 10km and 20km.
Paisley’s father Alex Perrie said the “grueling” schedule of the Canadian championships was designed to help skaters prepare for the pace of the world championships. He said Paisley is looking forward to competing in Italy, even though the high calibre of international competition makes her a long shot to finish in the medals.
The 2012 World In-Line Speed Skating Championships will be held in Ascoli (track) and San Bendeto (road), Italy from Sept. 14 to 18.
See next week’s Inside Wellin-gton for a feature story on Perrie.
