The Dutch men’s team narrowly advanced to the semifinals of the Olympic team pursuit event, securing the fourth fastest time in the quarterfinals.
NOS Schaatsen, a Dutch news outlet, reports that Chris Huizinga, Stijn van de Bunt, and Marcel Bosker recorded a time of 3:41.58, allowing the Netherlands to move on to the semifinals scheduled for Tuesday, where the finals will also take place.
In the quarterfinals, the Dutch team competed against France and were under pressure to beat the Norwegian time of around 3:44 while keeping the French team behind them. The team maintained the fourth position throughout the race and managed to surpass France in the final laps. For the semifinals and final rounds, the focus will be on direct competition, not times, so the Netherlands must defeat their opponent to advance.
The top four teams advancing to the semifinals include the United States, Italy, China, and the Netherlands. The Dutch men face a challenging semifinal against Italy, which posted a surprising time of 3:38.40, faster than the United States’ 3:39.37. The American team is the reigning world champion and holds the world record, having won all World Cup events this season, making Italy’s performance notably unexpected.
The Dutch women’s team had already qualified for Tuesday’s semifinals with the third fastest time, where they will compete against Japan. The team pursuit lineup for the men’s squad has been a topic of discussion, especially after Marcel Bosker was specifically selected over Tim Prins by coach Rintje Ritsma. There was some controversy leading up to the quarterfinals regarding team composition and the placement of top skater Jorrit Bergsma on the reserve bench, explained by the coach’s strategy to avoid using two ten-kilometre specialists in one team.
Historically, the Dutch men’s team pursuit has never been without debate, and their performance at these Games has seen its share of challenges. Their last Olympic gold was in 2014, with three bronze medals since. Despite not being the fastest this season, the Netherlands secured two bronze medals in World Cup events so far and now face tough competition ahead.
In addition to the team pursuit events, Dutch female skaters Femke Kok, Jutta Leerdam, and Anna Boersma are set to compete later in the evening in the 500-meter race, continuing to represent the Netherlands in the Olympic speed skating program.
