Victoria returned to the UK triumphant with a gold medal

Victoria Smith, 10, competed in the competition which took place in Copenhagen, the first time she has competed outside the UK,​ and was ecstatic to find she had won gold in her age group.

The young skater started off at the age of four and found she was a natural.

Mum Julie said: “Her interest started by chance when her older sister, Samantha, wanted to go skating at Braehead for her birthday in November 2017. This was Victoria’s first time on the ice at the age of four. Braehead didn’t have toddler skates or penguins but that was no problem for Victoria. She went on the ice and absolutely loved it, trying to go backwards and do spins on her first time out.

"Following this, we chatted with her auntie, who is also a figure skater, and started looking into lessons for her. Victoria got her first pair of skates for her 5th birthday and there has been no stopping her since.”

Victoria has been skating with East Kilbride Ice Figure Skating Club (EKISFC) since the age of five. She has been coached by the Cameron sisters Yvonne and Silvanna since 2018.

And there’s no doubting her dedication to her sport as her mother drives her from Blackwood to East Kilbride three or four times a week for her coaching lessons.

Her first competition was supposed to be at the Blackpool Ice Skating Festival in April 2020, however, her coaches decided she should have a go at Young Stars in Sheffield in March 2020, which she did. The country went into lockdown two weeks later and Victoria didn’t get a chance to compete at another competition for 14 months due to all ice rinks being closed.

Since then, she has competed at various competitions in Scotland and England. Her first podium was in Dundee in 2021 at the Tayside Trophy.

The opportunity to compete internationally came from a connection that EKIFSC had with Tårnby Skøjte Klub following a competition last year, the Flyver Cup, that some of the older girls competed in. Following the success of the trip they decided to return this year, taking some of the younger skaters, and for Victoria, the rest is history.