Xandra Velzeboer wins European Championship gold at 1,500 meters, double down on sister Michelle

Xandra Velzeboer

This article was last updated on January 22, 2025

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Xandra Velzeboer wins European Championship gold at 1,500 meters, double down on sister Michelle

An opportunity, an immediate hit: Xandra Velzeboer wins European Championship gold at 1,500 meters

Xandra Velzeboer impressively became European champion in the 1,500 meters in Dresden. The eldest of the two Velzeboer sisters is struggling with an injury to her left knee and, as a precaution, only rode the longest (and least explosive) distance individually.

In it she showed that there are few short track speed skaters who can match her level, even if she is not one hundred percent fit. She rode the final sparingly, but a lap before the end she squeezed past Gloria Ioriatti and Elisa Confortola from Italy. Michelle Velzeboer came fourth.

Michelle Velzeboer also fourth at 500 meters

The youngest Velzeboer (21) seemed to finally step out of her sister’s shadow in the 500 meters: she qualified for the final battle as the fastest and also seemed to be heading for her first individual European title in the final.

Arianna Fontana was not satisfied with that, dived inside where there was no space and knocked Velzeboer off the track. As a result, Michelle also had to settle for an ungrateful fourth place in the 500 meters.

Short track diva Fontana ruins Michelle Velzeboer’s chances of European Championship gold at 500 meters

The eldest Velzeboer (23) apparently rode easily to gold in the 1,500 meters, but that was not entirely the case. Still panting from the effort, she received her medal and it was clear to the camera that it had been tough.

“I’m still a bit out of breath,” Velzeboer confirmed. “I found the semi-final very difficult. Then you notice that you only ride a distance. But I made it.”

In the final she remained calm until the end. “I had a lot of peace in this race. I knew I shouldn’t waste any energy. Stay calm and focus on an action at the end. If I stay calm, trust myself and do what I have to do, then I can achieve a lot capable.”

Out of breath, but calm in mind, Velzeboer rushes for gold: ‘Trusted in myself’

In the final of the 1,500 meters, the Dutch sisters competed against three Italian top players; Fontana, Ioriatti and defending champion Confortola. Poland’s Kamila Stormowska and Hungary’s Petra Jaszapati completed the field.

Two laps before the end, the two Velzeboer sisters rode to the front together. Michelle was pushed to the outside, but Xandra chose the inside bend and rode sovereignly to victory.

Winner Xandra had not even really noticed that the two sisters rode forward together. “I haven’t actually been that concerned with ‘Mies’. But it’s a pleasure every time I get to ride a final with her.”

Michelle Velzeboer had to compete against a strong Italian block in the final of the 500 meters. In the semi-finals she was by far the fastest and therefore Velzeboer was allowed to start at the important starting spot on the inside of the track.

She even made a gap with the cunning Fontana in her back, but when he wanted to pass on the inside she touched the Dutch and both favorites went down.

‘Title taken away’

Fontana was declassified, but that did not help Velzeboer achieve a podium finish. Hungarian Petra Jaszapati benefited, ahead of Sighel and Betti. Velzeboer once again finished in a sour fourth place.

“It may be part of it,” said a disappointed Velzeboer afterwards, “but it feels as if the European title has been taken from me. It is that painful.”

Fontana has been at the top of international short track speed skating for twenty years, partly because of the risks she knowingly takes. “It wasn’t a complete surprise that she was going to try. I tried to block her, but in the end it was of no use to either of us.”

At the time of interview, Velzeboer had not yet spoken to Fontana. The Italian would later apologize.

National coach Niels Kerstholt saw it as a clear lesson for his pupil afterwards. “If you are 500 meters behind Fontana, who has already won everything, then you know: she is going to do it all or nothing. Because if she has nothing and someone drives into the boarding, then that is very ‘aso’, but it matters not her. And Michelle does, because she has not ridden much at this level yet.”

Silver mixed redemption

At the beginning of the afternoon, Michelle Velzeboer also missed the gold in the mixed relay. The Italian Pietro Sighel knocked Jens van ‘t Wout out of the court and that was the end result silver on the mixed redemption for the Dutch.

For debutante Zoë Deltrap, the silver was the icing on the cake, after a year full of setbacks. And while a fall at the National Championships last week seemed to throw a spanner in the works.

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