Highlight: Victoria Pelova
There are a lot of talented people in many fields on the campus of the TU Delft, including Sports. Every month, we put one of our elite athletes in the spotlight. This month, one of the biggest talents in Dutch women’s football: 18-year-old Victoria Pelova.
Victoria’s star is rising. Two years ago, the first-year Applied Mathematics student was still playing for the boys team of Delft amateur football club Concordia. Now, she plays at Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag. Furthermore, she is consistently part of the youth teams of the Dutch football team. At the end of January – a little faster than expected – her dream came true.
National team
She made her debut in the Dutch national team against Spain, as a substitute in the 81st minute. It was an experience she’ll never forget. ‘I assumed I would join the under 19 team, until I received a phone call. They told me they wanted me to join the first team. Suddenly, you find yourself playing with the best football players of the Netherlands, such as Lieke Martens (world footballer of the year 2017, rev.). It was great.’
After Victoria experienced the ‘real’ deal, she was called up for Dutch football team under-19 again to compete in the La Manga tournament in Spain. ‘It was kind of a shame, because my dream is to be a part of the first team. But it was understandable as well. After all, I have a bigger chance of playing in the under-19. Also, we need to qualify ourselves for the European Championship Under-19. It definitely doesn’t feel as a punishment, because it’s great fun playing with this team.’
Ambition and university
Denmark, the USA and Italy were beaten convincingly one by one in La Manga, partly thanks to Victoria’s assists. Now she’s back home, her main goal is to become more important for her club ADO. ‘We have difficulty with scoring this season, so my aim is to make a lot of goals. And I want to assist more often.’
Beside her footballing career, Victoria studies Applied Mathematics. A sometimes hectic combination. ‘During my spare time, I am studying mostly. It’s all about making choices. For example, I can’t meet up with my friends all the time. But in the end, I like the combination between sports and university.’
Dreams
‘And what about my dreams? Accompanied by my parents, I visited the women’s final at the 2012 Olympic Games in London in a packed Wembley stadium, between the USA and Japan. I found it really impressive. It think it would be an unbelievable experience competing in the Olympics. And of course, it would be fantastic as well to win the Champions League once.’ Time will tell.