Isabelle van Elst will represent Belgium at the upcoming Winter Olympics, having decided four years ago to compete for her mother’s country instead of the Netherlands.
Sporza, a Belgian sports news outlet, reports on Van Elst’s decision and preparations.
Isabelle van Elst made the choice to represent Belgium, where her mother is from West Flanders, after finding limited opportunities within the highly competitive Dutch speed skating team. Although she grew up in the Netherlands and both countries feel like home to her, competing for Belgium offers her a chance to participate in the Olympics under the Belgian flag. She expressed that it feels special and comforting to be able to skate for Belgium while maintaining her connections to the Netherlands.
Van Elst will compete in the 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter individual speed skating events, as well as the team pursuit. Her coach has noted her improved performance in recent training sessions, which has given her confidence heading into the Games. Her team pursuit squad includes Sandrine Tas and Fran Vanhoutte, with whom she won a silver medal at the European Championships. The team is ranked eighth and aims to surprise other competitors while enjoying the experience.
Family support will be strong at the Games, as Van Elst shared that they will be cheering for Belgium in Italy. She also mentioned a lighthearted comment about teammates balancing their cycling and skating schedules, particularly in relation to Sandrine Tas’s plans to cycle for Lotto-Intermarché during the summer.
