The "kingdom of speed skating" the Netherlands faces challenges at the Beijing Winter Olympics

In the speed skating arena of the Winter Olympics, the Netherlands is an unavoidable name, "Skating Kingdom" has won a total of 42 gold, 40 silver and 39 bronze in previous Winter Olympics, far ahead of other teams, including 6 Winter Olympics topped the speed skating medal table. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, the Dutch speed skating team won 8 of the 12 gold medals, and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago produced a total of 14 speed skating gold medals, and the Dutch won 7 gold. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Netherlands was also the only delegation to take the full 18 places.

"For us, the team selection is the most difficult event." The Dutch "skating queen" Worcester said this in early January this year, this sentence reminds everyone of "the National Games is the highest level of table tennis competition", but also reflects the dominance of Dutch players in the speed skating arena.

Worcester (left in the front row) takes a break between pre-game training sessions at the "Ice Ribbon". Image source: Xinhua News Agency

However, in the national speed skating hall "Ice Ribbon", the Dutch may face the toughest Winter Olympics in recent years. In this season's World Cup standings, only Krul (men's 1000m) dutch runners eventually led the way. Although most of the Dutch players withdrew from the last stop in Canada and prepared for the Winter Olympics trials in the team, the progress of athletes from other countries can still be seen.

The biggest problem the "Orange Army" has to face is the aging of the leaders. Born in 1986, Worcester has participated in the Four Winter Olympics in Turin, Vancouver, Sochi and Pingchang, and has won 5 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 1 bronze medal, making him the Dutchman with the most Olympic medals. But this veteran, who will spend her 36th birthday on April 1 this year, did not win the first place in a project in the team selection competition, and she barely qualified for the Winter Olympics, she will participate in the competition of 1000 meters, 1500 meters and team chase, of which the real hope of impacting the gold medal is the team chase with her teammates.

Kramer, the best men's speed skater in Dutch history, qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics even more thrillingly, winning 4 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals at the 4 Winter Olympics, and only ranked 14th in the 5000m team selection. Fortunately, considering Kramer's role in the team chase, the Dutch Skating Association finally decided to give the legend a chance to participate in the Winter Olympics for the fifth time, in addition to attacking the personal 5th Winter Olympic gold medal with his teammates in the "ice ribbon", Cramer will also leave the 5000 meters and start the two individual events collectively, but considering his state, there is little hope of winning gold.

The veterans are slowly withering away, and the Dutch team is looking forward to the new forces to pick up the beams, of which Krul's 1000 meters may be the most promising men's individual event for Dutch athletes. In the women's event, the Netherlands has the powerful Irina Scotten, who was called the "most secure gold point" by the Dutch team at the Beijing Winter Olympics by the official website of the International Skating Union. This season, Skauten has won all of her 3,000m and 5,000m races, and with the low fortuitousness of the long-distance event, she has great hope of taking the top podium in both events at the Ice Ribbon. In addition, Kausten will also participate in the collective start competition with Worcester and De Jong, and she won the bronze medal in this project at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and the outside world is also optimistic that she will go further in Beijing.