By Keith Weir and Pearl Josephine Nazare
MILAN, Feb 17 (Reuters) – The Dutch have traditionally been the dominant force in Olympic speed skating, reflecting a nation built around its waterways, and have now taken a firm grip on short track, the upstart younger branch of the sport.
Dutch skaters have won all four individual short track golds at Milano Cortina, while claiming two more in the longer form to stand fourth in the overall medals table on Tuesday.
Xandra Velzeboer, winner of two golds in the Milano Ice Skating Arena, said she had always loved the thrill of short track where racers compete on a tight, 111-metre oval, with collisions aplenty.
“I was doing short track at eight years old. I just always liked the technical aspect of the sport, that it’s just like racing each other and not about times,” the 24-year-old told reporters. “The passing (overtaking) is very exciting.”
Velzeboer, nicknamed “The Little Smurf” early in her career, is relatively small by Dutch standards and has exceptional acceleration and balance.
TRADITIONAL FORM REMAINS A CROWD FAVOURITE
A warmer climate means there are now fewer opportunities for Dutch people to learn to skate outdoors.
The historic 200-km (125-mile) Elfstedentocht marathon along the frozen canals in the province of Friesland, staged only when the ice is thick enough, was last held in 1997.
In a report in 2023, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute said that any cold spells now tend to be shorter, meaning the race risks becoming increasingly rare.
However, the Netherlands is home to a number of speed skating ovals where racers compete in pairs against the clock on a 400-metre circuit.
The sport retains a special place in Dutch hearts and the team’s orange-clad fans are again out in force in Italy.
Jutta Leerdam, who won gold in the 1,000 metres, is one of the faces of Dutch sport and has more than six million Instagram followers.
She said she was not built for short track.
“I’m pretty tall and kind of heavy, so for me to do short track, it’s, like, not the best combination because you have to lean a lot,” she said.
“And for me, long track fits my body type a lot better,” added the 27-year-old.
Compatriot Femke Kok, who won 500 metres gold ahead of Leerdam, said she was delighted by the emergence of the short track team.
“It’s cool that they show the world that they’re also the best,” she said.
Suzanne Schulting was the first Dutch athlete to win Olympic short track gold at Pyeongchang 2018.
(Additional reporting by Gianluca Semeraro and Francesca Landini; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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