Kemp and King look to Olympics after fifth national title

By Chris Cottrell, Sportsbeat, in Sheffield

OLYMPIC hopefuls Stacey Kemp and David King sealed their fifth consecutive national pairs title at the British Ice Skating Championships.

HIGH FIVE: Stacy Kemp and David King secure their fifth British pairs title with near-perfect free skate in Sheffield (www.kempandking.com)

The duo had more than a six point lead after Friday's short program and produced an impressive free skate to score 86.96 and finish on 132.01.

Their only rivals in Sheffield, Erica Risseeuw and Robert Paxton, couldn't quite find the magic that saw them beat Kemp and King in last year's free skate.

But despite a fall from Risseeuw exiting a triple throw loop mid-way through their routine, the pair recovered well to score 82.28 and finish on 120.75.

With another national championships in the bag, Kemp and King can move on to the Polish, Czech and Slovak Republic National Championships in Cieszyn, Poland next month full of confidence..

And King insists the pair are problem in the form of their life as they put the finishing touches to their preparation for their Olympic debut in Vancouver in February.

"We're really happy with how everything's gone in Sheffield," said King. "The only thing is that it wasn't the best score which is a shame because we thought it might have been a personal best - especially because you expect higher scores in your own country.

"But we're still really pleased and can only hope for more of the same over the rest of the season.

"That was pretty much the best we've ever skated and I honestly can't find a fault with it and to have that half-decade in the sun with our five title is fantastic as well."

Meanwhile, having finished ahead of their British rivals at last year's European Championships in Helsinki, Risseeuw and Paxton will join Kemp and King in Estonia and look to better their seventh place from Finland.