Bunbury speed skater wins marathon silver medal in China

Lanigan secured a silver medal in the 42 kilometre marathon beaten by Frenchmen Darren de Souza who stormed home in a time of 1:05.25, less than one second in front of the Bunbury competitor. Dutchmen Casper de Gier finished third. 

Lanigan has been competing at a club, state and national level since he was 10-years-old and has competed internationally at three Oceanic Championships. 

He has also raced twice in South Korea at the Namwon Open and represented his country in Argentina and Taiwan at the world championships. 

In April, Lanigan was also crowned overall junior winner for the Oceanic competition held in Timaru, New Zealand. 

“I returned from New Zealand with four gold medals and two silver along with plenty of racing experience,” he said. 

Next month, Lanigan is set to return to China as part of the Australian team for the World Speed Skating Championships in September. 

Away from competition, Lanigan enjoys cross training in cycling with the South West Cycle Club, occasionally taking on a race for them. 

He also gives back to the sport he loves by coaching speed skating classes at The Rink on Tuesday nights and runs the accredited Quick Kids Speed Skating program at Child Side School in Boyanup. 

“This is a chance for junior students to learn the basics of speed skating and for them to see if they would like to take up the sport competitively,” Lanigan said. 

“Speed skating requires a lot more commitment than other sports because there is a lot of technique required to be able to go fast while keeping safe.

“Professionally we can reach speeds up to 60 kilometres an hour and it takes a lot of skills to be able to race that fast while staying in control.” 

He also offered his thanks to New Zealander Bill Begg for helping him get to New Zealand and his coach Danny Sinster for many years of dedication helping Lanigan prepare for competition.