Stijn van de Bunt has secured his second Olympic start position by winning the 10,000 meter at the qualification tournament held in Thialf, following his earlier victory in the 5,000 meter event.
According to NOS from the Netherlands, Van de Bunt finished the 10,000 meter race with an impressive time of 12:36.35, narrowly missing the Dutch record. His result ensured his participation in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter events at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan.
The competition for second place was close, with Jorrit Bergsma sprinting to a time of 12:45.21, slightly ahead of Marcel Bosker, who finished third with 12:45.98. Bergsma’s position leaves his Olympic participation uncertain as he remains last in the ranking matrix. There is some hope, however, that he might be selected by national coach Rintje Ritsma for the mass start event, which would permit him to compete in the 10,000 meter as well.
Other contenders such as Chris Huizinga and Beau Snellink did not qualify, with Huizinga finishing fourth at 12:50.83 and Snellink ninth at 13:11.28. Van de Bunt, 21, who has never previously competed in a World Cup event, exceeded expectations by not only winning but coming very close to the national record held by Patrick Roest. Despite some difficulty in the final laps, he improved his personal best by nearly twenty seconds.
Van de Bunt cited the motivation to help his teammate Sebas Diniz, who posted the second-best time in the 500 meter but is not yet guaranteed a spot at the Games. Since Van de Bunt holds two qualification spots, the chances increase that Diniz will receive an Olympic start position. In addition, Van de Bunt remains a candidate for the team pursuit event, where he believes he can contribute significantly.
