Diane de Lugt-Valkenburg will transition from the Essent marathon skating team to the long track team this summer, bringing her expertise as a trainer and movement scientist to a new role.
Schaatsen.nl, published in the Netherlands, reports that the 41-year-old coach has played an important role with the marathon team since its inception, including developing training programs for skaters such as Harm Visser.
De Lugt-Valkenburg expressed satisfaction with her time in the marathon division, noting the team’s good performances and her own personal growth. In her new position, she will work alongside Jac Orie on the ice, applying her accumulated experience to support the long track athletes.
She described this move as an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of long track skaters while continuing to advance her own career in speed skating coaching.
