Ellia Smeding (born 16 March 1998) is a British long track speed skater. She competed at the 2020 European Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Racing in the 1000 meters, 1500 meters, and mass start events, she placed 14th, 18th, and 16th respectively.[1] She participated in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, becoming the first female long track speed skater to represent Great Britain at the Olympics since 1980.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 March 1998 Buckinghamshire, England |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Sport | Speed skating |
| Event(s) | 1000m, 1500m |
At the 2023 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships, she finished 8th in the 1000 meters and 11th in the 1500 meters events.
She holds personal bests of 1:14.47 in the 1000 meters and 1:57.62 in the 1500 meters.[3]
Personal life
editBorn in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, Smeding spent her early childhood in Oxfordshire before her family temporarily moved to the Netherlands (her father is Dutch, her mother English) so the children could learn Dutch. They stayed there, and Smeding, already into rollerblading, acquired a passion for speed skating. She is in a relationship with fellow British-Dutch Olympic speed skater Cornelius Kersten; based in Heerenveen, the couple have a coffee brewing business which helps to fund their sporting lives.[4][5]
References
edit- ^ "ISU Speed Skating Results - Live". app.isuresults.eu. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "Aylesbury's Ellia Smeding on track to make history for Team GB in Beijing Winter Olympics". www.bucksherald.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "ISU Speed Skating Results - Live". app.isuresults.eu. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ Day, Aasma (13 February 2022). "Team GB speed skater Ellia Smeding: People don't realise how much athletes sacrifice to train, says proud mum". i. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Gunton, Jo (7 February 2022). "British speed skating couple Cornelius Kersten and Ellia Smeding: partners in all things". Olympics.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
External links
edit- Ellia Smeding at ISUresults.eu
- Ellia Smeding at the International Skating Union
- Ellia Smeding at Team GB
- Ellia Smeding at Olympedia (archive)
- Ellia Smeding at Olympics.com
 | This biographical article on a speed skater in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |