Djemal 'gob smacked' by Winter Youth Olympics medal (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Djemal 'gob smacked' by Winter Youth Olympics medal

9:42am Monday 23rd January 2012 in Round-up

Epsom short track speed skater Aydin Djemal's Winter Youth Olympic debut surpassed even his wildest dreams after he returned home from Austria with a silver medal around his neck, writes Charlie Talbot-Smith.

The 15-year-old Blenheim High School pupil was part of a 24-strong Great Britain team that travelled to Innsbruck for the inaugural Winter Youth Olmypic Games last week.

Djemal initially impressed in the individual events finishing 10th in the 500m and grabbing the national U16 record in the process as well as 13th in the 1,000m.

And, with the organisers introducing a mixed team 3000m relay into the Games with a quartet of competitors from different countries grouped together, Djemal again proved his worth.

Along with team-mates Mariya Dolgopolova from the Ukraine and the Chinese pairing of Xu Hongzhi and Qu Chunyu, Djemal stormed to second place and silver.

Training partner Jack Burrows claimed gold with a separate team and Djemal couldn’t contain his delight after the two of them grabbed medals – Britain’s first in Austria.

“I’m gob smacked to be quite honest, I really didn’t think coming here that I was going to get a medal,” said Djemal.

“This was supposed to be somewhere that Jack and I could come and learn about the sport so to have done that and to have won a medal is just amazing.

“It was really difficult to communicate as a team and I had to bring my laptop down and use the translator so we could all understand each other.

“But we got the message through and a lot of it was instinctive, once we were clear in second we just relaxed.

“Speed skating is my life, it has taken over my life and this just means so much to me and the support has been great.”

And it wasn’t just the action on the ice that left Djemal, a member of Aldwych Speed Club, beaming from ear to ear in Austria.

“These Games have been a fantastic experience, it was an incredible opportunity to learn about new people and new cultures,” he added.

“I have loved the chance to sample a multi-sport event and it has just made me hungrier to get to a real Olympics one day.”

The British Olympic Association prepares and leads British athletes at the summer, winter and youth Olympic Games. It works in partnership with sport National Governing Bodies to enhance Olympic success and is responsible for championing the Olympic values. olympics.org.uk