Seo, who was unable to qualify from the 500m heats on the opening day, compounded his unhappy start by managing no better than third place in his heat of the 1000m – the only distance at which he won individual gold at the Rotterdam World Championships in March.

His heat was won by home skater Liu Shaoang, the individual world silver medallist, and other heat victories went to China’s world individual 500m silver medallist Wu Dajing – who had qualified second in his 500m heat behind individual world champion Sjinkie Knegt of The Netherlands – Canada’s individual bronze medallist Charles Hamelin, and China’s Ren Ziwei, who finished one place ahead of fellow qualifier Knegt.

Christie, who won individual gold in both distances at the Rotterdam World Championships in March, had won her opening 1500m and 500m heats on the opening day.

The 27-year-old Scot will be joined in the 1000m quarter-finals by the individual world silver medallist Suzanne Schulting of The Netherlands, who was second in her heat behind South Korea’s Choi Min Jeong.

China’s world individual 500m champion, Fan Kexin, went through as a minor qualifier.

Knegt was part of a Dutch 5000m relay team that won its quarter–final narrowly over fellow-qualifiers Canada, with China and Hungary advancing from the second quarter-final, and South Korea and the United States taking the two top semi-final qualifying places in the third race.

In the women’s 3000m relay event, the winners of the three quarter-final heats were The Netherlands, Canada and South Korea.

This is the first of four World Cup events that will help determine qualification for next year’s Winter Games in Pyeongchang.