Tim Prins has expressed deep frustration and disappointment following the decision to exclude him from the Dutch team for the Milan Winter Olympics, a move that allows Marcel Bosker to take his place in the pursuit event.
AD.nl, a Dutch news outlet, reports on Prins’s reaction to the selection decision.
Prins, who finished third in the 1500 meters at the Olympic qualifying tournament, received a phone call from technical director Remy de Wit, informing him that Bosker would be selected for Milan while Prins would be excluded. De Wit reportedly told Prins he had zero chance of winning a medal, a claim that Prins strongly contests. Despite currently ranking fifth in the World Cup and having recently placed second at the national championships—just four hundredths of a second behind Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis—Prins is left questioning the basis for the committee’s assessment.
Speaking calmly but emotionally, the 22-year-old skater from Friesland described feeling mentally destroyed, angry, and broken. He criticized the selection process for relying solely on subjective data and ignoring the athletes as individuals, calling it a disappointing approach. Prins has also received wide support from within the skating community, with many expressing confusion over the decision to exclude him.
