Promising skater Paxton won't leave roots behind

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Posted: Saturday 14th February 2009 | 16:14

FIGURE skater Robert Paxton insists he won't turn his back on Britain despite risking his Olympic future by competing alongside Canadian skater Erica Risseeuw.

Paxton won't turn his back on his British roots
TRUE BRIT: Robert Paxton will stay loyal to GB despite his relocating to Canada

Paxton - from the Isle of Wight - uprooted to Canada nearly nine years ago to pursue his figure skating dream at the world famous Mariposa Skating Centre.

A switch from singles to pairs in 2004 initially failed to pay off but the 25-year-old turned a corner in April when he tried out with Calgary-born 18-year-old Risseeuw.

Two months later the duo teamed up and in January, after deciding to compete for Great Britain, the pair announced themselves on the international scene finishing second at the British Championships before going on to record a shock seventh at the European Championships.

But with exactly one year to go until the Olympic flame is lit in Vancouver, Paxton's hopes of representing Team GB are hanging by a thread with Risseeuw locked in a race to gain British citizenship.

The duo's chances of selection are already minimal with British No.1 David King and Stacey Kemp pencilled in to compete at next month's World Championships in Los Angeles and subsequently qualify for Vancouver.

But despite the obstacles Paxton insists he has no plans to look for a quick fix by ditching Risseeuw or competing for Canada, he said: "Erica is more than willing to race under the British banner - we competed for Great Britain at the Europeans and that is what we want to keep doing despite living in Canada.

"Things aren't completely straight forward at the moment because Erica doesn't have British citizenship although we are working hard to secure it sooner rather than later.

"Erica and I know what we are getting ourselves in to - there is plenty of time for both of us and our goals will remain the same.

"The Euro's was a real confidence booster - we can take a lot of heart from that performance and hopefully in years to come we will really live up to our potential.

"Being in the same ice rink as the world champions was an experience in itself but we don't want it to end there we are desperate to build on our success."

Paxton, who learnt to skate at the Ryde Arena, and Risseeuw's European achievements last month were all the more impressive as their score of

129.78 saw them finish four places above King and Kemp.

The British No.1 pairing have had things their own way over the past few years, and despite claiming a fourth straight national title this year, former Priory School pupil Paxton believes there is a wind of change on the horizon.

"Things are still new but I am enjoying my time with Erica," he added.

"We did perform above our expectations in Helsinki but that isn't to say we weren't expecting to do well.

"We are a rising pair but with a full year under our belts next year I can see things being a lot different in the British ranks.

"I have had a little bit of a break since competing at the European Championships Erica has gone home but we are planning to get back together shortly.

"It is a really exciting time - things are still new but I am enjoying skating with her and we are heading in the right direction."