Streatham pair land skating bronze at Korean winter youth Olympics

A duo from Streatham Ice Rink have just won the bronze medal for Ice Dance at the Youth Winter Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea.

Ashlee Slatter, 14, and Atl Ongay-Perez, 16, finished seventh in the rhythm dance after a small slip but powered back through to claim third place in the free dance to finish third. France took first place, with USA in silver.

Ashlee, from Croydon and Atl, from Streatham, took part last year in the World Junior Figureskating Championships at Calgary, Canada, where they placed a highly-creditable 18th overall. The couple have already successfully competed in ice dance tournaments in Italy and Latvia.

The pair’s head coach, Philippa Towler-Green, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of these two. They work so hard training at Streatham all year round, and I’m delighted to see it all pay off.

“To come back from seventh place to take bronze is exceptional and just shows what a talented pair they are. They couldn’t have done it without the whole coaching team behind them at Streatham ice rink so a big thank you to everyone involved, they know who they are.”

Ashlee and Atl said: ” We are thrilled to bring home bronze in ice dance for Team GB at the Winter Youth Olympics. It’s a dream come true to get a place at the podium and we can’t wait to continue our journey at the junior World Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, Taiwan, at the end of February.”

The pair, who have been dancing together for seven years now, are both home schooled so they can balance training with a formal education. They are coached by the Towler-Green family – Pippa and Candi and their mother Diane, who won gold in the Olympics for ice dance, at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble.

The coaching team also includes Roland Hailston and Mathieu Geffre Gardiner.

The cost of their trips is being met with the aid of a crowdfunding appeal. This can be accessed via the link: Fundraiser by Gillian Slatter : Support Ashlie and Atl’s Skating journey (gofundme.com)

Pictured top: Ash and Atl (Picture: British Ice Skating)