BASINGSTOKE ice skating star Danielle Harrison has capped a brilliant year by being crowned British Junior Ladies champion.

Even though the 15-year-old was one of the youngest skaters in the field, she lived up to her number one ranking by taking the crown at the Sheffield Arena.

The Everest Community Academy pupil led the competition after the short programme and, despite being third in the free skate, the teenager collected enough points to take the overall win.

Talking after the event, Harrison said: “It is really great to be British champion, but I was disappointed with both my skates.

“I think I put too much pressure on myself being ranked number one, which is something to learn from going forward.”

It has been an excellent year for Harrison, who skated in Sarajevo after being invited by Torvill and Dean to join them in their celebration gala to mark the 30th anniversary of their gold medal Olympic win.

In October and November, Harrison skated for Great Britain in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and France.

The 15-year-old is coached by Debi and Simon Briggs, with choreography support from Andrew Smith and trains at the Basingstoke Arena as well as in Dundee.

Simon Briggs is a NISA Level Five coach and one of the world’s leading technical specialists.

Harrison said: “It has been a very good year for me and the highlights were winning the British Championships and skating with Torvill and Dean.”

Looking to next year, the teenager is hoping to skate in the World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia in early March, having achieved the qualifying score.