Christie decided to skip the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships earlier this year to focus her preparation on this weekend’s competition at the Ahoy Rotterdam venue.

Her best result at a World Championship came last year in Seoul, where she came third overall.

She got her campaign in the Dutch city off to the best start today, however, as she qualified first in a time of 43.578 seconds.

South Korea's Choi Min-jeong, the defending world champion, finished second on 43.931 while her compatriot Shim Suk-hee, who won three medals at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games and won the 2014 World Championships crown, completed the top three in 43.936.

Jessica Kooreman of the United States proved too fast for the rest of the field in the 1,000m.

She stopped the clock in 1:33.212 to finish narrowly ahead of Suzanne Schulting of The Netherlands, who finished in second place in 1:33.365.

China's Yihan Guo rounded off the top three in 1:34.431.

Deanna Lockett of Australia won the 1,500m qualifying in a time of 2:34.494 while Canada's Marianne St-Gelais, who finished second at last year's World Championships, crossed the line just after in 2:34.837.

Shim qualified in third place in 2:37.497.

In the men's 500m qualification today, Shaoang Liu of Hungary was quickest in 41.398.

Home favourite Sjinkie Knegt took second in 41.404 while Canada's Charles Hamelin occupied third with a time of 41.406.

Knegt then proved too strong for the rest of the field in the 1,000m, qualifying fastest in 1:25.866.

Finishing in second was another Dutch skater, Dylan Hoogerwerf, in 1:26.646 while Liu finished in third on 1:26.677.

J R Celski of the US was fastest in the 1,500m.

The American posted the quickest time of 2:14.710 to finish ahead of reigning world champion Han Tianyu of China who crossed the line in 2:14.942.

Hamelin rounded out the top three in 2:15.265.

The finals of the 500m and 1,500m scheduled to take place tomorrow.

The 1,000m competition then draws to a close on Sunday (March 12) alongside the women's 3,000m relay and men's 5,000m relay.

The allround classification is based on the results of each skater in the three individual distances of 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m.

After the completion of the three distances only the top eight point scorers and those level with eighth place will skate in the 3,000m Super Final, where the overall world champion is crowned.

The Super Finals in the men's and women's competitions are also scheduled for Sunday (March 12).