#ShortTrackSkating

Velzeboer (NED) and Jaszapati (HUN) record milestone triumphs at European Championships 

A few weeks ago, most observers would have predicted that Xandra Velzeboer (NED) would win the 500m title at the ISU European Short Track Championships in Dresden, and have a good shot at the 1000m, too. 

In the event, she didn’t race either distance – a knee injury meant she chose to avoid the more explosive distances. Instead, she grabbed gold in the 1500m, a distance in which the Dutch flyer has never won a major honour.

Medalists Gloria Ioriatti (ITA), Xandra Velzeboer (NED) and Elisa Confortola (ITA) race to the finish line in the Women’s 1500m ISU European Short Track Championships in Dresden, Germany © ISU

There can be no bigger warning to her rivals that Velzeboer is maturing into a formidable racer, who can threaten across the board, especially as the Olympic Winter Games approach.

Petra Jaszapati (HUN), meanwhile, was victorious in a dramatic 500m, recording her first major individual gold medal.

Petra Jaszapati of Hungary celebrates after she wins the gold medal in the Women’s 500m in Dresden, Germany © ISU

Velzeboer overcomes the odds in 1500m 

The Netherlands star played the longest race of the weekend to tactical perfection. She lurked in the pack for the majority of proceedings, letting Gloria Ioriatti (ITA) and Elisa Confortola (ITA) take the lead.

With four laps to go she weaved seamlessly through the pack and, on the final circuit, turned on the speed that makes her the best sprinter in Short Track. Ioriatti claimed silver and Confortola bronze.

Xandra Velzeboer (NED) wins the gold medal in the Women 1500m ISU European Short Track Championships in Dresden, Germany © ISU

“To finish with a gold is amazing, it was the goal, I made it work,” said Velzeboer. “The two weeks before the championships were insecure with my injury, but I focused on the distance I did skate, and I had high quality. 

“This season I improved a lot in the 1500m. I got closer to getting medals, so to win now is really great. Getting better at 1500m is a combination of everything. I know I could use my speed in the 1500m, but I wanted to be a little more smart. There are more people on the track. 

“The goal is the Olympics and I want to be in my best shape for every distance, physically and mentally. This season is the road to that. It’s a lot of learning and gaining experience.” 

Ioriatti is also sensing improvements. “I could sense Xandra coming in the race and I was struggling to be in the front, but I held on and did the best I could,” she said. 

“I didn’t want to jinx second place, so maybe next year I fight for gold. It feels good. Last year I was second as well, but this year the field was a lot more competitive, and nobody fell. Last year was a lucky race, this year I feel like I deserved it.”

Jaszapati hears Hungarian anthem at last 

It could have been the perfect day all round for the Velzeboer family. Xandra’s sister Michelle Velzeboer (NED) – who unlike her sister has never won a major individual gold – started the 500m in lane one, with her best shot ever at taking a title, and led round the all-important first corner.

Unfortunately, she was taken out the race by Arianna Fontana (ITA), whose attempt at a pass, and a third gold medal of the weekend, went awry. 

The top two skaters wiping out allowed Jaszapati through for victory: she held off a late charge from Arianna Sighel (ITA) and Chiara Betti (ITA), who took the silver and bronze respectively. 

Petra Jaszapati (HUN) grabs gold, Arianna Sighel (ITA) wins silver and Chiara Betti (ITA) the bronze medal in the Women’s 500m in Dresden, Germany © ISU

“This is the first time I’ve heard the Hungarian national anthem being played for me, and I will cherish this moment forever,” said Jaszapati.

“It is my first big gold medal and it means a lot. It’s been tough because I had to skip last season. I stuck to the processes that me and my coach have set out. It is working.

“I started on lane four, and my goal was to try and come third. When I saw the crash I was just hoping they wouldn’t pull the race back. When I turned in the last corner, I thought: ‘I can’t lose this now’. It is really sweet.”

The Italian duo were also delighted: it was the first individual podium for both Betti and Sighel, and it meant that every female athlete in the team had made it onto a podium in Dresden. 

For two skating families there were two very different stories: while the Velzeboers commiserated, the Sighel family partied, as Arianna’s brother, Pietro, also scored two gold medals on the day.

“I’m feeling great,” said Sighel. “It’s fantastic that every girl here got a medal, it is wonderful for our team. We are making big steps forwards. We are friends as well as teammates.

“Having a friend next to you helping is a power, it is incredible. And for me and Pietro, our family are here to watch, so it is really brilliant.”

Betti added: “This is cool because the season has not been so good for me. For all the Italian girls to have an individual medal, it shows that our work is paying off.”

“We had three girls in each final and this is very cool,” concluded Confortola, who had taken 1500m bronze.

France won the 2000m Mixed Relay, ahead of Poland and the Netherlands – the country’s first major gold medal in the discipline. 

(L-R) Team Netherlands poses with the silver medal, Team France with the gold medal and Poland with the bronze medal after victory in the Mixed Team Relay © ISU

“It’s a surprise to be honest, because it’s a new team and it’s something we haven’t tried before,” said  Gwendoline Daudet (FRA). “Some of us have been on the circuit for a moment, but others haven’t. So it’s really nice to see. I feel like it is a promising team.”

The athletes now move on to the fifth leg of the Short Track World Tour, the ISU Short Track World Tour Tilburg Odido Cup in Tilburg, Netherlands, from 7-9 February.