Xandra won gold in Beijing
Giving her all for the Games
Door Thijs Fens
By Thijs Fens
It was ‘unreal’, she says. ‘The stress and excitement I felt during the race were off the charts. I remember thinking: we’re going to win this. But then I immediately told myself I wasn’t allowed to think about it. It was all so exciting.’
It’s been three weeks since life science and technology student Xandra Velzeboer (20) and her crew were the first to cross the finish line during the short-track skating finals at the Olympic Games in Beijing. And what a victory it was. It was in fact one of her moves that netted them the win. ‘I came up in front and knew no one would be able to pass me. We were the favourite to win gold, so the pressure was on. The way it all worked out was amazing. We wouldn’t have settled for anything less than a gold medal.’
Honoured
But even as her teammate Suzanne Schulting crossed the finish line, she still didn’t quite realise what had happened. ‘It didn’t really land until the next day, when we were being honoured. That’s when I realised the Olympic Games are a much bigger deal than any other tournament. The whole entourage, Medal Plaza, the village, how long the whole thing lasts. It’s an amazing experience for an athlete.’
I knew right away we’d run a clean race
‘The best moment was when we all hugged each other after we’d finished first in the race. We were so happy and euphoric’, she recalls. Many things can happen during a short-track skating race: competitors pass each other, push each other out of the way, and often fall down. After a race, the first thing officials do is check whether everyone followed the rules. ‘But I knew right away we’d run a clean race. That made it even better: we didn’t have to wait for the verdict.’
Velzeboer started studying at the UG in 2019, right before the start of the pandemic. But Covid was secretly a blessing for her. Training six days a week, twice a day, was difficult to combine with life as a student. ‘I’d study in the afternoon and go right back to it after training. That was too much, really.’
But during the pandemic, everything was online and at home. ‘I definitely noticed a difference. Not having to attend classes on campus saved me a lot of time.
Father
Velzeboer doesn’t come by her skating talent, which saw her win the B final of the women’s 1000 metre race, randomly: both her father and two aunts did short-track skating at the Olympic Games. ‘It’s quite amazing to follow in their footsteps thirty years later. It also helps to be able to talk to them about how this tournament works.’
When she finally got her ticket to Beijing, she was mainly worried that Covid would spoil it all. She stayed away from people as much as possible and saw barely anyone as the Games got closer. ‘Imagine if I’d tested positive right before I was about to leave. I’d been working so hard!’
Imagine if I’d tested positive right before I was about to leave
A week before she was due to leave, she went into quarantine at home, just like all the other Olympic athletes. ‘That was pretty intense. Sitting at home all alone, hoping no one infected you somewhere in the past few days.’ Even in Beijing, she was still worried. ‘We had to get tested every day and fill out this whole questionnaire about our physical health.’
Velzeboer didn’t start feeling safe until a few days in. ‘That’s when we knew no one had been infected back at home. The bubble was airtight. We weren’t allowed to leave the village at all, so I don’t think we would have been able to get Covid. That was a relief, because it’s constantly on your mind: What if?’
Not memorable
Due to all the restrictions and isolation, staying in the village wasn’t particularly memorable. Apart from people disinfecting the stairwells and lifts with a spray bottle, Velzeboer didn’t really see anything crazy. ‘I heard people in the Netherlands saw videos of food coming out of the ceiling, but I wasn’t aware of any of that’, she says, laughing.
Velzeboer already knew what to expect from the tournament; she’d attended the test event for the Olympic Games in Beijing in October of last year. ‘I already knew that I wouldn’t be leaving my apartment much. I didn’t get to see the country at all.’
To entertain herself, she brought her art supplies. She read a lot of books. Fortunately, she shared the apartment with her teammates, so she at least had some company.
Celebrate
She’s glad to be back. She missed her family, who only saw her moment of glory on television. ‘Then again, I never went to the Olympic Games under “normal” circumstances, so I didn’t know any better. I hope everyone will be able to be there with me next time. Sports is something you want to celebrate with everyone.’
The pressure of combining studying and sports was untenable
She’s also enjoying Dutch food and being able to cook again. ‘The food at the Games was Asian and European, but not very Dutch. I loved being back in the Netherlands and eating food I was used to.’
What’s next?
Velzeboer will be preparing for the world championship, which had been postponed to April. She won’t be returning to her studies this academic year. ‘I sacrificed everything for the Games. Perhaps I’ll take a course somewhere in May. Or I’ll pick it back up next year. They say the year after participating in the Games is a good time to pick courses you need to be present for.’
She’s realised that the pressure she’s put on herself was too much. ‘It was basically untenable’, she says. ‘But it’s fine. I’ll just take longer to graduate.’