Sk8house celebrates medal haul at nationals

As we roll into a new inline speed skating season for 2023, the Sk8house speed team has some huge successes to look back on after competing in the National Inline Speed Skating Championships from January 16-21. A long, arduous but hugely successful week saw the country’s top ranked skaters compete in road, flat track, bank track and marathon.

Sk8house sent 10 of its best speed skaters to compete as part of the Victorian team. All skaters competed fiercely to gain podium positions during the competition with some fantastic results across all the states. The Victorian team triumphed overall, becoming the state winner for the championships by snatching 72 of the medals up for grabs. Overall, Sk8house collected 46 medals during the championships across all disciplines.

Highlights included Harry Geary taking out the 5km open men’s race on flat track and claiming a silver medal in the 10km open men’s road race. Overall, Harry walked away with three gold medals, five silver and two bronze in the junior men’s division. Harry’s father Kevin was Sk8house Speed Club’s most successful medal winner in the masters men 50+ age category, taking home six gold, four silver and a bronze, followed closely by Rob Taylor with two gold, three silver and six bronze. Rob came second in the open masters 42km marathon in the gruelling WA heat.

In the very competitive masters 30 & 40-plus age category, Bradley Payne walked away with a silver and a bronze to his name. Congratulations also go to Danika Hopmans, who won silver in the junior/senior road relay team, and to Ashlee Payne for her efforts throughout the week. Both girls competed for the first time in the very tough junior women’s division and fought valiantly throughout the week with some very near podium positions.

Jaxson Brown also had a fantastic championships with two silver medals, a bronze and numerous fourth and fifth places. Jaxson was Sk8house’s only other marathon medallist, winning bronze in the 21km junior boys’ category.

In his first time at a national championship, Thomas Forbes walked away with a whopping eight medals under his belt – five silver and three bronze. Thomas came to the championships with no expectations of medalling, so he was delighted to achieve results far beyond what he had imagined. Although a couple of Sk8house skaters did not medal at the nationals, Wouter Oosthuizen secured a couple of fifth places before he was injured and Jack Vacur placed midpack in the majority of his races.

Sk8house is justifiably proud of every skater who put their heart and soul into the nationals and also extends its congratulations to all its skaters who were selected in the Australian team for the Oceania championships in Brisbane next month. It also congratulated Harry Geary, who has been selected for the World Speed Championships being held in Italy later in the year.

The Sk8house Speed Club thanks Kevin Geary and Bradley Payne for their leadership in coaching the Victorian team through its many triumphs and tribulations throughout the week.