Beijing, January 31 (Xinhua) -- 29-year-old Dutch speed skater Kroll said on the 31st that if only one country (region) can host the Winter Olympics (in the current situation), it must be China, and "we should be glad that the Winter Olympics will be held here."
On February 16, 2020, the Netherlands' Kroll competed in the men's 1500m race at the ISU Single Speed Skating World Championships. In the end, he finished second in the men's 1500m with a time of 1:41.735. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Matt Herp)
Kroll, from the speed skating "Dream Team", is one of the favourites to win the men's 1000m and 1500m at the Beijing Winter Olympics. On the afternoon of the 31st, in the training competition held at the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon", which only a few runners participated in, Kroll skated a time of 1 minute 08.84 seconds in the men's 1000 meters event.
Kroll told reporters that he had been in Beijing for 4 or 5 days and participated in the training match to find the rhythm of the game. The result wasn't "so fast" and he believes he'll be in better shape next week.
On January 31, speed skaters trained at the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon" to prepare for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo by Wu Wei, Xinhua News Agency
Kroll expressed his appreciation for the organizational work of the Beijing Winter Olympics. He said that looking back at the past two years, we can see that the epidemic prevention measures taken by China are the best, and the number of infected people is very low. "As I said a few weeks ago, if only one country can host the Winter Olympics (in the current situation), it must be China, and we should be glad that the Winter Olympics are held here." Because all other countries encounter greater difficulties. Kroll also said that the organizing committee found a good balance between ensuring epidemic prevention safety and giving athletes a certain degree of freedom, so he appreciated the organization of the event.
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Kroll's main events are the men's 1500m and 1000m. In these two events, China's Ning Zhongyan is also one of the most competitive players.
On January 30, members of the Chinese speed skating team trained at the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon" to prepare for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The picture shows Ning Zhongyan, a member of the Chinese team, in training. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Xu
Kroll said that Ning Zhongyan is very good and has exchanged suits with him in the World Cup before. "I have a lot of respect for Ning Zhongyan, he is a great athlete, especially in the 1500 meters race is the favorite to win the championship, perhaps in the 1000 meters event. I'm looking forward to competing with him for gold at the Winter Olympics. ”
Kroll also said that in the 500-meter event, he respected China's Gao Tingyu, "his first 100 meters are really too fast." Kroll's own goal is to play at a high level in the 1500m and 1000m events, "hoping to win the gold medal".
On November 12, 2021, in the final of the men's 500m Group A of the ISU Speed Skating World Cup, China's Gao Tingyu won the championship with a time of 34.26 seconds. The picture shows Gao Tingyu after the game. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Rafael)
Editors: Ding Wenxian, Wu Bowen, Cao Yibo, Pan Yiwen (Intern)