UvA student Isabelle van Elst skates in World Distance Championships this weekend
By skating under her Belgian nationality, UvA art history student Isabelle van Elst (24) was able to participate in all major international competitions this year and is working toward the 2026 Olympics. Next weekend she will be at the start of the World Distance Championships in Thialf. “I have to save a master’s degree for after my skating career.”
Of the sports in which the Netherlands excels, skating is at the top of the list. That makes competition on the skating teams very fierce, as experienced skater and UvA art history student Isabelle van Elst knows. Anyone who wants to advance in Dutch speed skating and be assured of a salary has to get onto a commercial team. Van Elst succeeded two years ago at Worldstream-Correndon, the now-defunct team on which Jutta Leerdam and Koen Verweij also skated. “With them, I gained experience and was able to race in the World Cup every year on a reserve spot for the Netherlands,” Van Elst says.
She got a taste of international competitions but mostly sat on the reserve bench. So when Worldstream-Corendon was disbanded and Van Elst was replaced for the Dutch World Cup selection in Hamar by Femke Kok, Van Elst left for Belgium. “I’ve always had dual nationality because my mother is from Belgium.”
Belgian flag
That was easier said than done. “Belgium has a national team but no ice rink. Everyone basically trains with another team, often in the Netherlands[BA1] .” Van Elst joined the Norwegian all-round team Skøytelandslaget and trains there with Ragne Wiklund, world champion in the 1500 meters. “I really do feel like part of the team, even though I skate for another country. It really feels like a family; it’s very different from the Netherlands.”
As a sprinter, Van Elst excels especially in the 500- and 1,000-meter sprints. Still, she feels right at home on the all-around team. “The whole reason I joined an all-round team is because I wanted to maintain more speed in a second round at the 1,000 meters. That level is just much higher on an all-round team than with the sprinters. Plus, as a woman you always have men to train with and the all-round men skate more slowly than the sprinters. And besides, I want to train on speed more myself. After all, in a race, you do that, too. I really feel like part of the Norwegian team, even though I skate for another country.”
Arrange it yourself
The Belgian skating federation cannot fund everything for Van Elst and she has to pay the Norwegian team to train with them. “That’s the difficult thing about this year: before, I only had the combination of studying and skating. Now a full-time job has been added to that with finding sponsors and arranging everything around skating such as airfare and hotels. But that also creates new opportunities. You can organize everything the way you want.
Van Elst luckily found two financial sponsors and so now skates from the Netherlands, for Belgium, in Norway. “It was a big puzzle, but then when everything falls into place it’s really super cool.”
Art History
She doesn’t often get around to studying at the UvA. “I happened to take an exam recently, but attending lectures on site doesn’t work with my travel schedule. The year is divided into training camps and international competitions. In the weeks in between, she is at home with her boyfriend in Amsterdam and trains in Haarlem or Heereveen.
While teaching was being done online during the corona pandemic, Van Elst was still able to take a fair number of courses. For her bachelor’s of art history, she only needs to take her electives. After that, she would like to pursue a master’s in conservation and restoration, the reason she once started studying art history. “But considering the Winter Olympics in 2026, that is difficult to combine because of attendance requirements and lab work. So I think I should save a master’s for after my skating career.
Full speed ahead
Early this skating season, van Elst suffered a serious setback. A respiratory infection prevented her from training for six weeks and several races were canceled. “During that period we were supposed to do speed training,” she said.
Still, this season she already set three national records for Belgium, two at the third World Cup in Calgary (500 and 1,000 meters) and at the European Championships in Hamar (four-lap sprint) in early January where she achieved eighth place. “I was happy with that, too.”
The 1,000 meters is Van Elst’s favorite distance. “You can go full speed ahead, maintain it until the end - you have time to really skate. For me, 500 meters always feels a bit rushed. In your head, you don’t have the time for it, but you have to take that time to be able to skate hard.” Next year Van Elst wants to focus mainly on the 1,000- and 1,500-meter races. “That’s where I see myself really growing. But because of my respiratory infection, I just haven’t been able to qualify for the 1,500- meter race this year.”
Next weekend Van Elst will be at the start in Thialf. Friday she is in the second reserve spot for the 500 meter-race. Saturday she will compete in the 1,000 meter-race. How does she rate her chances? “Jutta [Leerdam] and Antoinette [De Jong] did not compete at the World Cup, but they are competing here. In Heereveen the conditions are often good and the ice is fast, so I hope for a good finish. In terms of classification, it is difficult to say. The top 10 would be great, but as long as I put in a good race, improve myself and get back to my old level, I think I can be very satisfied.”
The World Distance Championships will be held from March 2 to 5 in Thialf, Heereveen.
