Long track speedskating

Ellia Smeding

Get to know Ellia

Ellia Smeding is a long track speed skater with both Dutch and British roots. She was born in Oxfordshire, England, to a British mother and a Dutch father. At the age of eight, she moved to Harlingen in the Netherlands, where her passion for speed skating began and she took her first steps towards a career in elite sport.

Infocard

Name: Ellia Smeding

Sport: Long track speedskating

Date of Birth: 16-03-1998

Favourite Virtuoos product: Recovery Gold Strawberry

What are you most proud of?: That after many years of perseverance I became an Olympian (and my nieces)

Favourite dish: Sushi

Follow Ellia Smeding on: Instagram

After her early years with Team Frysk and later Team Novus, Ellia chose Calgary, Canada as her training base in 2025. She skates for Pro Team Calgary, where she trains under the guidance of coach Bart Schouten. The international training environment provides new challenges and supports her continued development as an athlete.

I like being able to rely on my routines.

Ellia competes internationally for Great Britain. She is a regular presence on the World Cup circuit and has competed at multiple European and World Championships. At the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in 2022, Ellia became the first British woman in forty years to compete in long track speed skating. She is set to return to the Olympic stage in 2026, competing in the 1000 and 1500 metres at the Olympic Winter Games in Milan.

Statistics

50%

Health

20%

Sports nutrition

30%

Performance

40%

Recovery

What Ellia is most proud of is not a single race or result, but the fact that years of perseverance led her to become an Olympian. The road to that achievement was marked by challenges, but it was precisely those years of determination that brought her to the Olympic Games. With her international background and mental resilience, Ellia shows that success in elite sport often begins with continuing to push forward, even when the path is not straightforward.

Interview

How Ellia Smeding prepares for an important competition

How do you prepare for an important competition as a professional speed skater? For Ellia Smeding, it mainly comes down to consciously easing off and trusting her routines. In this…