STAR ice skater Michelle Royds froze out the opposition to become British Champion.

The 12-year-old Pleckgate High School pupil has only being skating for six years but she is already British Champion, Scottish Champion and was just pushed into second place in the Welsh championships for her age group.

Michelle, of Manitoba Close, Blackburn, got the skating bug when she was just six-years-old when she went to watch an ice hockey match at Blackburn Arena with a neighbour.

Her mum Dawn said: "She just loved it. The next time she went along she wanted to get onthe ice and she hasn't looked back since.

"When she competed in the British Championships at the weekend she knew she was in the top three, but she didn't realise she'd won. When we found out she got a bit weepy.

"She loves skating so much even though we didn't get back from the competition in Swindon until after midnight, she wanted to get straight back on the ice first thing the next morning."

Michelle is sponsored by the Piano Cafe on Northgate, Blackburn, and is coached by Karen Barber at Blackburn Arena.

She trains every morning before school and at weekends. She is tipped to become one of the country's skating stars of the future.

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