The Dutch Long Track Selection Committee (SCL) has finalized its lineup for the upcoming ISU World Allround and Sprint Speed Skating Championships based on recent performances at the Olympic Qualification Tournament and the Milan Olympic Games.
Schaatsen.nl, the Netherlands, reports that the committee’s decisions aim to give athletes the option to either compete or rest at the Daikin Dutch National Championships (NK) allround and sprint ahead of the World Championships.
Freek van der Wart, representing the SCL, explained that athletes selected for the World Championships have the choice to participate in the national titles or skip the event to focus on their preparation. Final team spots for the ISU World Championships will partly depend on performances at the Daikin NK events. Given the short time between the Winter Olympics and the World Championships, the strategy is to allow skaters optimal preparation time to perform well at the global event.
The Dutch lineup for the ISU World Allround includes women Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong, Joy Beune, and Marijke Groenewoud, alongside men Chris Huizinga and Stijn van de Bunt. The third male spot will be decided based on the highest placing skater at the upcoming Daikin NK allround not yet selected.
Van der Wart noted there was no clear distinction among the three female allround skaters based on preset criteria, leading to the decision to select all three to support their preparation choices. At the previous World Allround Championships, Dutch women had an excellent result with a podium sweep: Joy Beune became world champion, Marijke Groenewoud finished second, and Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong secured third. On the men’s side, Patrick Roest won silver behind the champion, Stolz, with Hallgeir Engebraten from Norway placing third.
The Heerenveen event marks the 117th edition of the men’s World Allround Championship and the 81st for the women. Historically, the Netherlands is the most successful country in allround speed skating with 56 titles out of 196 combined men’s and women’s championships. Other leading nations include Norway with 40 titles and the former Soviet Union with 32. Notable record-holders are Sven Kramer with nine titles, Gunda Niemann with eight, and Ireen Wüst with seven.
For the ISU World Sprint Championships, the Dutch team includes Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam among the women, with Jenning de Boo and Joep Wennemars among the men. The final third starting place in both women’s and men’s categories will be awarded to the highest-placing skater at the upcoming Daikin NK sprint who has not yet been selected.
At the previous World Sprint Championships, Japan’s Miho Takagi won gold ahead of Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam, who took silver and bronze respectively. On the men’s side, Zhongyang Ning from China captured gold, defeating Jenning de Boo and Laurent Dubreuil from Canada, who finished second and third.
The World Sprint Championships have been held since 1970 and the countries with the most titles are the Netherlands, the United States, and the former Soviet Union, each having won eight gold medals. The most successful individual at this event is Russian skater Igor Zjelezovski, holding six titles. Leading Dutch sprinters with two golds each are Erben Wennemars and Michel Mulder.
The competitions will take place in Heerenveen from Thursday, March 5th to Sunday, March 8th, with a detailed schedule including multiple 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, and 10,000m races for both men and women. Tickets for both the Daikin NK and ISU World Championships allround and sprint events can be purchased through official links.
