ELLIA SMEDING hopes to inspire a new generation of “control freaks” as she prepares to become the first female long-track speed-skater for 42 years to represent Great Britain at an Olympic Games.

The last British long-tracker to grace the Olympic Oval was Craig McNicoll in 1992, where Robin Cousins reigned supreme and Torvill and Dean were inexperienced also-rans.

The 23-year-old Smeding said it never crossed her mind to pursue the more available route into the unpredictable world of short-track, with which the nation is more readily associated.