NOTTINGHAM speed skaters Elise Christie and Jack Whelbourne face "some of their toughest competition" when they return to World Cup action this weekend.
The Great British short track speed skaters will compete in the Asian leg of the ISU World Cup series, spending tomorrow and Sunday in Shanghai before moving on to Seoul for the final World Cup of the year.
But GB Performance Director Stuart Horsepool says the experience the duo will gain is more important than winning honours.
"Winning medals in Asia is not our primary objective," he said.
"We are keen to ensure that Elise and Jack have as much experience as possible competing against the world's top skaters from nations such as Korea and Canada.
"This will help them to fine tune their skills and techniques, increasing their chances of medalling as we head towards the World Championships next year."
Whelbourne will line up in 1000 metres and 1500m and Christie will race across 500m and 1000m.
And despite Horsepool taking the pressure off, 24-year-old Christie will no doubt be looking for a podium place, having come close to achieving one in the United States leg of the series last month.
The European 1000m champion currently lies fourth in the series rankings for that distance.
She finished fourth in World Cup 1 in Salt Lake City, and fifth overall in World Cup 2, Montreal.
And she has already made a flying start to the latest round of action.
In today's qualifiers, Christie finished first in both her 500m and 1000m heats.
Tomorrow, she will now compete for a place in the final.
Whelbourne however, didn't fare quite so well, falling in both of his races today.
However, he still has a chance to make the finals when he competes in the repechage events tomorrow morning.
The duo are under no illusions about the challenge they face.
After this weekend's action, the competition resumes in Seoul from next Friday through to Sunday.
"Jack and Elise will be facing some of their toughest competition out in Shanghai and Seoul over the next two weeks, but this is key for their development," Horsepool added.
Meanwhile, the rest of the GB Short Track squad have stayed in Nottingham to continue training and preparing for the rest of the season.
