Olympics-Speed skating-Team GB speed skating sweethearts win Olympic tickets fuelled by coffee

By Sakura Murakami

BEIJING (Reuters) - Athletes often find ways to fuel themselves – perhaps with their favourite snacks or an uber-healthy diet – but Team GB's first long track speed skating delegation in 30 years have fuelled themselves with something entirely different: a coffee business.

Cornelius Kersten and Ellia Smeding are a couple representing Great Britain who have used their coffee business, aptly named Brew’22, to fund their way to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

"We just wanted to fund ourselves to the Games and hopefully make it to 2022, and we did," Smeding said after a training session at the National Speed Skating Oval on Friday.

"For skaters, drinking coffee is mostly the only social moment besides training... We thought we could make delicious coffee - five tastes for each Olympic ring and five colours," she added.

The coffee business, based in the Netherlands, sells single cup coffee filters that makes travelling with quality coffee easier.

The couple found themselves yearning for good coffee whenever travelling for races, and hit gold when they discovered single cup filters in Japan.

The business has pushed them to where they are now - becoming the first long track speed skaters representing Britain in 30 years.

"It's really cool. To get someone at the Games in long track was already amazing, but to have two of us really makes a statement. We can really show the U.K. what long track speed skating is," said Smeding.

With names such as 'The Maverick' and 'The Dreamcatcher,' each blend is inspired by their speed skating careers.

"The names are based on the athletes we saw around, (the) types of athletes we looked up to. It's about hopes and dreams," said Kersten.

They also have names reserved for each other.

"She's definitely the 'powerhouse,'" said Kersten of Smeding.

"He is the underdog," chuckled Smeding.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

2022 Beijing Olympics - Speed Skating - Training - National Speed Skating Oval, Beijing, China - February 1, 2022. Cornelius Kersten of Great Britain during training. REUTERS/Susana Vera

2022 Beijing Olympics - Speed Skating - Training - National Speed Skating Oval, Beijing, China - February 2, 2022. Ellia Smeding of Britain in action during training. REUTERS/Susana Vera

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