Previously the question was: how good is Irene Schouten? As it turned out on the first day of the World Championship distance in Heerenveen, over 3,000 meters was not enough for the World Championship title. Norway’s Ragne Wiklund became the world champion with 3:56.86. Half a second faster than the Olympic champion Schouten.
Schouten took the silver medal with 3:57.40, while Martina Sáblíková finished third with a surprising 3:58.35.
Wiklund, who won the World Cup by more than three kilometers, was seen as the biggest threat to Schouten. Rightfully so, for the first time this season, it turned out to be four laps faster than Schouten’s first set.
Faster acceleration than Schouten
Wiklund has always benefited from the wings of Canadian Valerie Maltais keeping up with the Norwegians. Wiklund did not fall in the final rounds. On the contrary, he accelerated and drove only one gear faster than Schouten.
Schouten is not at the peak of his form, he said earlier. Last year was tough and a lot was asked of the three-time Olympic champion. In the NK distances, Schouten didn’t quite qualify for these three kilometers, finishing third right behind Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong and Joy Beune.
But a month later, things were going “much better,” Schouten said on Wednesday. The absence of super form “was a nice challenge to see what I could do in this form.”
Schouten began to boldly plan for the track record he set in November 2022 (3.54.04), but quit soon after. Still, it lasted a straight lap schedule of just over 31 seconds. He dived well in under four minutes. But not enough to pass Wiklund.
Bronze Sablikova
Surprisingly, bronze was enough for Sáblíková. The veteran player from the Czech Republic beat the Dutchman in a direct duel with Beune. Number two in NK, Beune took off like a rocket, towing Sáblíková. The women competed in Wiklund’s fastest program for a long time, but could not keep up with the Norwegian’s pace in the final laps.
Beune’s 3:59.18 was good for fourth place. He was also faster than the somewhat disappointing Dutch champion Rijpma-de Jong (February 4, 2011) with seventh place.
Rijpma-de Jong also got off to a fast start, diving right under the schedule set one stage earlier by Schouten. But Schouten’s straight laps were too much for Rijpma-De Jong. At the Dutch Championships in early February, Rijpma-De Jong was 4.4 seconds faster than Schouten. Now Schouten was 4.7 seconds faster than Rijpma-De Jong.
Schouten showed that the form was better than a month ago. He wasn’t that far behind Wiklund, either.
Check out the schedule of World Championship distances in Heerenveen below:
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
