Jack Whelbourne got the better of fellow Briton Jon Eley at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championships, claiming silver to his bronze – but neither could stop Russian Vladimir Grigorev.

Eley was hotly tipped for a medal on his return to the Europeans having missed out last year through injury and opened his campaign with a sixth in the 1500m ahead of Whelbourne who was seventh.

However it was the 500m where Eley’s true focus lay and he looked good on route to qualifying for the final as did Whelbourne while teammate Richard Shoebridge fell in the quarter-finals.

However Grigorev, who reached just the semi-finals of the 1500m on Friday, was a class above in the medal showdown taking gold by fully a second after crossing home in 41.798minutes.

And it was Whelbourne who trailed home behind him in 42.828 and not former European champion and two-time Olympian Eley who was just over a tenth of a second further back in 42.970.

However it still marks a good return for the British team on day two in the Czech Republic with the fourth man in the 500m – Germany’s Robert Seifert – well behind in fourth.

But, while Whelbourne and Eley were celebrating silver and bronze respectively, fellow Brit Charlotte Gilmartin didn’t get past the quarter-finals in the women’s 500m.

Gilmartin reached the semi-final of the 1500m on Friday, won by Italian Arianna Fontana who was back at it again in the 500m beating compatriot Martina Valcepina to another gold medal.

Fontana won the 1500m by almost half a second but things were much tighter in the 500m as she edged out Valcepina by less than a tenth of a second clocking 43.725.

Valcepina won 1500m bronze on Friday and recorded a time of 43.801 while Hungarian Andrea Keszler ensured Jorien ter Mors wasn’t back on the podium in Mlada Boleslav as she came third.

And just like Friday the British 5000m relay team of Shoebridge, Paul Stanley, Ian Upcott and Whelbourne ended the day on a high, qualifying for Sunday’s final.

Sportsbeat / Eurosport