Xandra Velzeboer ended the past short track season with a stunt. She won gold in the 500m at the World Championships and now she can’t wait to go international again.

The new season also starts with a special touch. For the first time she travels to the World Cup competitions with her sister Michelle, who is two years younger than her. “Super important and super fun to experience together.”

21-year-old Xandra and 19-year-old Michelle, born in Culemborg, started skating together at a young age. “So it’s not the first time that I’ve been on the ice with her,” says the oldest from Velzebo. “But it’s the first time that we’re going to such big competitions with the national team.”

They will race the same distances (the 500m and 1,000m) at the start of the World Cup season this weekend in Montreal and could even compete against each other.

The Velzeboer family is a real short track family. Father Mark and his two sisters, Monique and Simone, competed in the 1992 Albertville Olympics. “Apparently we all enjoy endlessly riding a 110 meter track,” he said.

Sometimes confused

Now that both sisters are competing in the World Cups, it doesn’t get any easier for the short track pursuers. “When you look from afar, sometimes we get confused,” Xandra knows. “So I think maybe we look the same, but I can still see the differences for myself.”

“We’re not copies, but you can see that we do certain things in the same way,” she continues. “We are both competitive and have good racing instincts. I think I’m a bit more cocky,” laughs the older of the two sisters.

You are now in Montreal, Canada, where the qualifying rounds for the first World Cup of the season will take place on Friday evening. Xandra Velzeboer has fond memories of this job.

Successful world championship for Xandra

Six months ago she surprisingly won the world championship title over 500 meters and won bronze in both the 1000 meters and the final classification. She also finished third in the season.

Still, she thought it was “a little bit exciting” what her shape would be like after the summer. “But I’m definitely satisfied with that,” she refers to her results at the Dutch Open, where World Cup places were won at the beginning of October. She won the 500 and 1,000 meters and was second in the 1,500 meters.

Watch Xandra Velzeboer’s 500m race win at last season’s World Cup in the video below:

“For the World Cups, we’ll have to wait and see how you fare compared to the foreign competition. Of course that raises expectations”, Xandra Velzeboer refers to her results of the last season.

“And I have those myself. You got those results, so you want to continue that form. I’m definitely aiming for the medals at the World Championships,” it sounds combative. And she also hopes to support Sister Michelle in the international competitions.

“Of course it’s new for them, but at the end of the day you run your own competition. I have no doubts that she will do well.”