The final World Cup weekend in Inzell served as a crucial preparation event for many speed skaters ahead of the upcoming Winter Games in Milan, revealing current form and areas that require improvement.
NOS, the Netherlands
The competition in Inzell, southern Germany, featured exceptionally fast times and new track records, highlighting the strength of international competitors. The event did not produce final conclusions but offered four key lessons as athletes head to Milan.
The Netherlands concluded the World Cup season with a total of 29 victories, with female skaters securing 24 of those wins. The Dutch women consistently contended for titles each weekend, whereas the men achieved only five wins throughout the season. This imbalance was also evident during the Inzell event, where Dutch women won five races, while the men could not secure a victory.
Among the women, Jutta Leerdam had a particularly strong performance, breaking her own track record in the 1,000 meters and placing second in the 500 meters. Leerdam plans to continue training in Inzell before traveling to Milan with confidence. Femke Kok demonstrated dominance in the 500 meters with her 23rd consecutive victory, setting a new track record. Marijke Groenewoud also won the mass start, despite coming off a demanding training camp in Tenerife which affected her performance in other distances.
The Dutch men’s situation contrasts with the women’s results. Although regarded as contenders, Dutch male skaters are not top favorites for gold in Milan, largely due to the impressive performances of American skater Jordan Stolz, who has dominated the 500, 1,000, and 1,500 meters this season. Stolz showed some vulnerabilities by finishing behind Polish skater Damian Zurek twice in the 500 meters during the weekend.
The long-distance men’s races featured intense competition among international athletes. Earlier this season, Timothy Loubineaud set a world record in the 5,000 meters, only to be surpassed by Norwegian Sander Eitrem at Inzell. Eitrem made history by becoming the first skater to break six minutes in the 5,000 meters, setting the first new world record on the Inzell ice since 1986.
Dutch coach Rintje Ritsma is cautiously adjusting the men’s team pursuit squad for Milan. On Sunday morning, Chris Huizinga, Stijn van de Bunt, and Marcel Bosker skated together for the second time since the Olympic qualification tournament. The final order for the team remains undecided, with Ritsma planning a detailed review of performance footage and data. The team aims for a bronze medal, a goal Bosker considers realistic, estimating their chances as fifty-fifty.
Despite strong foreign competition, Dutch skaters remain calm, as many were not yet fully at peak fitness after intensive training camps in Spain, Italy, or the Netherlands. Uncertainty about the ice conditions at the Milan Olympic venue adds to the cautious approach; with less than two weeks to go before the Games begin, detailed information about the track quality is not yet available. Most Dutch skaters will continue training in Inzell over the coming days before relocating to northern Italy later this week. The Olympic village in Milan officially opens on Friday, one day prior to the speed skating arena’s inauguration.
