NEVER let it be said that Elise Christie doesn't do things in style. After collecting nothing more than a demoralising hat-trick of disqualifications in the short track speed skating events the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014, the Livingston-born, Nottingham-based, athlete's journey came full circle in Rotterdam last week when she racked up her first ever world championship gold medals, a trio of them no less. Winning the overall gold - in addition to the 1,000m and 1,500m prizes - allowed her the proud claim of becoming the first-ever European to interrupt what tends to be concerted Asian dominance.

All in all, it wasn't a bad way for the 26-year-old to shut up the Twitter trolls who dogged her in the immediate aftermath of her Sochi ordeal, not to mention some South Korean observers who went further than that - by sending death threats in her direction for taking out their hero, Park Seung-Hi, in one tumble.

Having given the idea of packing it all in, or turning to another sport, some serious thought in her darkest moments since then, nothing emphasises the reversal of Christie's fortunes that when she travels to Pyeongchang for next year's Winter Olympics she will be mobbed by Asian fans.

"I have probably got my biggest fanbase in Korea now out of all the countries," she said. "When I was in the test event for Pyeongchang it was amazing because there were loads of them shouting for me and getting me to sign things. It was a really nice feeling."

While Christie puts much of her success down to work she has been doing with a sports psychologist - allowing her to rise above whatever snidey comments still come in her direction - part of her still clearly revels in being able to shut up her detractors. The 26-year-old revealed in a previous interview with Herald Sport how she was bullied as a child going through the schooling system in West Lothian.

"I probably spent about two years being terrified of failing after Sochi, because I was in a bronze medal position and I threw it all away to try to get a gold medal," said Christie, who already had eight world championship medals - albeit all silvers or bronzes - prior to last weekend. "I was just trying to get medals, rather than trying to win. So this year I was kind of like 'there's no point in going out to get medals any more'. It was about trying to go out and win, taking risks, and accepting failure in the process.

"I still get the occasional person writing something really horrible, but now I know how to overlook it," she added. "Some of them are horrible, they are not nice. But you know that it is really just little gits sitting at home feeling sorry for themselves probably and taking it out on you. I am definitely much better at ignoring it right now. I generally write something funny or just ignore them. They wouldn't say it to your face."

Christie, who will graduates shortly from a four-year Sky Scholarship scheme which saw her receive valuable support from the likes of former England rugby player Will Greenwood, is genuine when she says her triumph may never have happened. "I was really close to giving it all up," she said. "Because I just didn't know that the sport would impact my life so heavily. To have turned it around, in just three years, is just incredible. I don't think I would have kept going after Sochi at all if it wasn't for the media and members of the public keeping me going.

"It wasn't until I got off the ice that they were saying 'you were the first European to do this, the first non-Asian in this long'," she added. "I didn't really think about it. But it is mental. And hopefully it will change the sport, because it has been dominated by Asians for so many years and it will be good to see more Europeans in the future doing it. And hopefully more British people too.

"For me being World Champion was really the main goal," she added. "It is actually harder than getting the Olympic title in one way because you have to be more consistent. But I definitely want to try to come away as Olympic champion now. And I think physically and mentally I am in the place to do that. It is just about how I perform on the day, and making sure nothing goes wrong. That really would be the perfect way to get back at the bullies."

Christie freely admits she is a spiky character who could start an argument in an empty room. So perhaps it was inevitable that she should change to this more explosive form of the sport after originally giving the tiaras and tutus of figure skating a try. "I don't know how could I really would have been at figure skating," she said. "I was really good at doing the jumps and stuff like that, but I wasn't really that good at being elegant and tidy. It was probably a good choice."

***Elise Christie is a current Sky Sports Scholar. The Sky Academy Sports Scholarship scheme is now open for applications from sporting stars aged 16-25. Applications close at midnight on Sunday 26 March.