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Xandra Velzeboer

Netherlands

SportShort Track
FederationIDSTNED20709200101
NOCNetherlands
Born07 Sep 2001 in Culemborg 
GenderWomen
ResidenceHeerenveen, NED
Higher educationLife Science - University of Groningen: Netherlands
OccupationAthlete, Student
LanguagesDutch
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 41.416 04 Nov 2022 Salt Lake City, UT  
    1000m 1:26.592 11 Feb 2022 Beijing  
    1500m 2:17.844 21 Oct 2021 Beijing  
Main Achievements
 
Main Achievements
Olympic Games
Event  
Olympic Games
    3000m Relay 1      
World Championships
Event  
World Championships
    500m 2 1    
    1000m 1   1  
    1500m     1  
    2000m Relay 1      
    3000m Relay 3   1  
    Overall     1  
World Junior Championships
Event  
World Junior Championships
    500m 1 1    
    3000m Relay 1      
European Championships
Event  
European Championships
    500m 1   1  
    1000m     1  
    2000m Relay 2      
    3000m Relay 2 1    
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Club / TeamShorttrack Brabant: 's-Hertogenbosch, NED  
General Interest
General Interest
Famous relativesHer father Marc and her aunts Monique and Simone represented the Netherlands in short track at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, while her uncle Alex competed in the sport at four editions of the world championships between 1995 and 2000. Her sister Michelle made her World Cup debut in short track in 2022 in Montreal, QC, Canada. (SportsDeskOnline, 31 Oct 2022; schaatsen.nl, 29 Nov 2021, 11 Feb 2019, 15 Sep 2018)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sport"I used to do inline skating and I enjoyed doing it but at some point I chose short track. Speed skating is so boring. It is really all about that the fastest time. Short track is about passing, tactics. That is just a lot more fun to do."  
General Interest
General Interest
Awards and honoursShe was named the 2017/18 Talent of the Season by the Royal Dutch Skating Federation [KNSB]. (schaatsen.nl, 15 Sep 2018)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Name of coachNiels Kerstholt [national], NED  
When and where did you begin this sport?She began skating at age eight at the Sportium ice rink in Den Bosch, Netherlands.  
Social Media
Social Media
www.facebook.com/xandra.velzeboer  
General Interest
General Interest
NicknamesXannie, Xan, Kleine Smurf [Little Smurf] (schaatsen.nl, 29 Nov 2021, 22 Jul 2020)  
Sporting philosophy / motto"In short track the technique is never perfect, there is always room for improvement. It has simply been taught to me that you should never sit back and be lazy and satisfied." (trouw.nl, 22 Jan 2021)  
Other informationBEING A VELZEBOER
Multiple members of her family have competed in short track internationally. "My parents and my sister are a great support to me. The whole family actually. My father, uncle and aunts understand what I'm talking about, so I can talk to them well. They can give advice based on their own experiences. That helps. My last name doesn't give me any extra pressure. I'm not into that at all. Rather, it provides extra power. I think that we 'Velzeboers' all know well how short track sport works. I got that from them too. I have been participating for a while now and I am learning more and more." (nos.nl, 28 Oct 2022; rtlnieuws.nl, 13 Feb 2022; schaatsen.nl, 29 Nov 2021)

TEAMMATE
In training she is eager to measure herself against Dutch national teammate Suzanne Schulting, who achieved a clean sweep of the women's events at the 2021 World Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. "Being on a team with someone like that is more of a pleasure than a burden. It is wonderful to be on the track every day with the best short track star in the world. She makes me better in every way. If I can keep up with her at top speed in training or give her a hard time, that can only mean one thing. What I'm doing at that moment is really good. It really helps to get better when you have someone in front of you who is so good." (trouw.nl, 22 Jan 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has also studied for a degree in environmental and natural sciences at the Open University in the Netherlands. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Sep 2023)
 
Most influential person in careerHer family. (schaatsen.nl, 29 Nov 2021)  
HobbiesDrawing. (helden.media, 24 Jan 2023)  
Hero / IdolItalian short track skater Arianna Fontana. (helden.media, 24 Jan 2023)  
AmbitionsTo win gold at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (helden.media, 24 Jan 2023)  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2022 Olympic Games 3000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 European Championships 2000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 World Championships 3000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 World Championships 2000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 European Championships 3000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 European Championships 2000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 European Championships 3000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 World Championships 500m1  
    2021/2022 World Championships 500m1  
    2023/2024 European Championships 500m1  
    2019/2020 World Junior Championships 500m1  
    2022/2023 World Championships 1000m1  
    2023/2024 World Championships 3000m Relay1  
    2019/2020 World Junior Championships 3000m Relay1  
    2020/2021 World Championships 3000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 World Championships 500m2  
    2018/2019 World Junior Championships 500m2  
    2020/2021 European Championships 3000m Relay2  
    2021/2022 World Championships Overall3  
    2021/2022 World Championships 1000m3  
    2023/2024 European Championships 1000m3  
    2020/2021 World Championships 1500m3  
    2021/2022 World Championships 3000m Relay3  
    2020/2021 European Championships 500m3  
    2022 Olympic Games 2000m Relay4  
    2022 Olympic Games 1000m5  
    2022/2023 European Championships 1000m5  
    2017/2018 World Junior Championships 3000m Relay5  
    2022 Olympic Games 1500m5  
    2017/2018 World Junior Championships Overall5  
    2021/2022 World Championships 1500m6  
    2023/2024 European Championships 1500m6  
    2019/2020 World Junior Championships 1000m6  
    2020/2021 World Championships Overall6  
    2020/2021 European Championships 1500m6  
    2020/2021 European Championships Overall6  
    2020/2021 World Championships 500m7  
    2018/2019 World Junior Championships 1500m7  
    2018/2019 World Junior Championships 3000m Relay8  
    2019/2020 World Junior Championships 1500m9  
    2020/2021 European Championships 1000m9  
    2020/2021 World Championships 1000m11  
    2022 Olympic Games 500m16  
    2022/2023 European Championships 1500m20  
    2018/2019 World Junior Championships 1000m25  
    2022/2023 European Championships 500m31  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 500m1  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 500m1  
    2022/2023 Montreal, QC 3000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 Dresden 3000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 Dordrecht 2000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Gdansk 2000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Seoul 2000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Beijing 500m1  
    2023/2024 Gdansk 500m1  
    2023/2024 Dresden 500m1  
    2023/2024 Montreal, QC 500m1  
    2022/2023 Dordrecht 500m1  
    2022/2023 Montreal, QC 500m1  
    2022/2023 Montreal, QC 1000m1  
    2022/2023 Salt Lake City, UT 500m1  
    2023/2024 Seoul 3000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Gdansk 3000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Dresden 3000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Montreal, QC 3000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Beijing 3000m Relay1  
    2021/2022 Debrecen 3000m Relay1  
    2021/2022 Dordrecht 3000m Relay1  
    2021/2022 Nagoya 3000m Relay1  
    2023/2024 Beijing 2000m Relay1  
    2021/2022 Beijing 3000m Relay2  
    2023/2024 Seoul 500m1  
    2023/2024 Dresden 1000m2  
    2022/2023 Dresden 500m2  
    2023/2024 Dresden 2000m Relay2  
    2021/2022 Beijing 2000m Relay2  
    2023/2024 Montreal, QC 2000m Relay2  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification Overall3  
    2022/2023 Dresden 2000m Relay3  
    2022/2023 Dordrecht 1000m3  
    2023/2024 Seoul 1000m3  
    2023/2024 Montreal, QC 3000m Relay3  
    2021/2022 Nagoya 1000m3  
    2023/2024 Beijing 1500m3  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1000m4  
    2022/2023 Almaty 2000m Relay4  
    2022/2023 Salt Lake City, UT 3000m Relay4  
    2022/2023 Salt Lake City, UT 2000m Relay4  
    2023/2024 Gdansk 1500m4  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 500m6  
    2022/2023 Almaty 3000m Relay6  
    2019/2020 Salt Lake City, UT 2000m Relay6  
    2022/2023 Almaty 1500m7  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification Overall8  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1500m8  
    2022/2023 Salt Lake City, UT 500m8  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1500m9  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1000m11  
    2019/2020 Salt Lake City, UT 500m11  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1000m12  
    2019/2020 Salt Lake City, UT 500m13  
    2022/2023 Almaty 500m17  
    2022/2023 Dresden 1500m17  
    2018/2019 Calgary, AB 500m17  
    2018/2019 Calgary, AB 500m17  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 500m23  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1500m30  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1000m31  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1500m36  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 500m43