Link Centre Skaters Perform On International Stage
Swindon Ice rink was represented at the highest competitions on the International Figure Skating calendar since January.
Kristen Spours, Team GB, successfully finished 9th at the 2025 European Championships held in January in Tallinn, Estonia.
This was the first top 10 finish for a GB skater at a European Championships in women's singles in 15 years.
Commenting on her performance, Kristen said: "Competing at my very first European Championships and finishing in the top 10 was really an incredible result. I never thought I would achieve that. Thank you to my coaching team for supporting me along the way and being there for me. It's a team work!"
Coach Christopher Boyadji commented: "Kristen is a very determined skater, and her work ethic and commitment is incredible on a daily basis. But as she said, it's a team work, and I thank Lloyd Jones & Zoe Jones to be by my side every day to make this happen. However, GLL and GSF are also part of the team success. It's important to note that they offer us some great training conditions in order to develop the skaters to the highest level".
Few weeks after that, Zarah Wood & Alex Lapsky were representing GBR at the Junior World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, end of February. It was the biggest event that this young team has ever done, and their experience was wonderful.
Zarah & Alex commented : "We are so proud to have been selected by British Ice Skating to represent our country at the biggest Junior event of the season. We skated with our heart and delivered the best performance we could have done".
Zoe Jones, coach and mum of Zarah, commented : "It was such an emotional moment for me. Seeing my daughter on the biggest international stage was actually nerve-wracking. I remember every part of my body shaking when they were competing! But I'm so proud of Zarah & Alex, because they really are hard workers. As usual, it is a team work and thank you to Chris Boyadji and Lloyd Jones for the work they have put in to allow them to deliver such a great performance".
Following the successful 2 months with European and Junior World Championships, the Senior British Men Champion, Edward Appleby decided to change his coaching team and join us in Swindon.
Swindon was then represented at World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, by 2 competitors, Kristen Spours in the Senior Women and Edward Appleby in the Senior Men.
This event was also the Qualifier for Olympics 2026.
Kristen Spours, finishing 22nd, has officially secured a GBR spot in the Women Category.
Unfortunately, Edward missed it by few places but will get a second chance to qualify the GBR spot for men end of September in Beijing, China.
Edward commented : "I could say that I'm disappointed, but it remains a competition. I worked extremely hard with my new coaching team in Swindon to be ready for the event, and I can honestly say that I was. It was just unfortunate that I fell on a jump. It impacted a lot the marks and put me off the Qualifying spots. But overall, it was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed skating in this beautiful arena"
Kristen commented : "Not sure where to start! Qualifying a spot for GBR was always one of my biggest dreams. Competing at the Olympics would mean the world to me. I'm proud of what we have achieved with my team to make it happen. Thank you Swindon Ice rink, thank you GLL and thank you GSF for the support".
Chris Boyadji : "Having the best Senior Single skaters in the UK in our centre in Swindon prove that we are now one of the biggest training centres in the UK. It has been difficult to build, but with the help of Clive Seabrook, General Manager of the Link Centre, and Louis Butcher, we have been able to put in place some amazing training conditions for the athletes. And this is the result: 1 Olympic spot for GBR. I'm forever grateful to all the support that everyone has put in place to make this happen".