He never lacked self-confidence. And so Rintje Ritsma actually had only one question on the eve of his World Cup debut as national coach. “If we don’t become world champions in the men’s and women’s team pursuits here, what have I missed?”
Former Beer van Lemmer, now 52, never imagined that the answer would lie in something as trivial as the leg piece of a skate team not fitting into the boot of the skate.
The second of the trio of Irene Schouten, Marijke Groenewoud and Joy Beune followed suit as the only person to wear a classic suit for individual runs. The sock she used to cover the skin around her ankle moved upward as she ran, exposing her skin.
“And then you know what time it is,” Ritsma said after the letters DQ appeared on the scoreboard, as regulations specify that all body skin, except the face, must be covered for safety reasons.
The national record of 2:52:65 was broken and the Netherlands lost to Canada for first place. With a bitter expression in his voice: “We objected, but it didn’t quite work. I have not seen a reverse decision. As soon as a Dutch arbitrator becomes involved in such cases, the Netherlands is just a victim…”
No wonder gold
The disappointment of losing a gold medal far outweighed the joy of winning the men’s competition. But the 3:38.26 win of the trio of Patrick Roest, Beau Snellink and Marcel Bosker did little for the punters.
In the history of the world long-distance championship fight, the men’s team pursuit has appeared fourteen times. After at least thirteen finals, Wilhelmus crossed the middle. Only in 2011 was the last battle lost. At Inzell this year, the USA took advantage of Sven Kramer’s absence from the Dutch trio.
On Friday night, in the catacombs of Thialf, Ritsma looked at the baptism of fire and saw that all was well. Yes, that’s what it sounded like without any false modesty, despite being disqualified, he had passed his first test very well. “I knew I was making the right choices with the names. From where? Very simple. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have recruited these people.”
Meanwhile, De Fries was the first to downplay his share of success. “I just put the dolls in the right place. This is everything.”
There is still a long way to go
A four-time all-round world champion, the man who holds the most ungrateful position in the Dutch skating country, he knows better than anyone that he and his teams have a long way to go before they head to the Milan Olympics three years later. be time now. Becoming world champion may seem like a formality for men, but winning a gold medal at the Winter Games has proven an impossible task since Turin 2006.
Closing the ranks will be Ritsma’s first mission. Appointed a few weeks into this season, the player’s activities in his first season were mostly limited to keeping it mushy and wet.
On the eve of the global championship fight, it was Roest of all people who made little effort to hide his disappointment at the turn of events under Ritsma. On the contrary, the farmer’s son from Lekkerkerk did not start a revolution, but he did touch the sensitive point.
The three Dutchmen trained together exactly once in the week before the World Cup. He wanted to say that the world championship was not the result of extensive preparation anyway. “The Netherlands has not won a single World Cup this season and has come close to the podium twice,” he said. “It would be a good time in the World Cup.”
gold disappears
That’s how it happened. So gold was hiding something, but definitely not everything. “I still don’t think it’s that great. If you want to collect all teams on the same page, something needs to change. Team follow-up training sessions are usually scheduled at the last minute. Throw. It just has to change.”
“Something has to happen if you’re going to take the final step. I’m disappointed that this season sounds like an echo of all the stories we’ve heard over the past few years. I was really hoping it would get better.” Because that’s not my feeling.” Like this.”
At the same time, Roest realized that he should not expect miracles. “Of course it’s his first year as a national coach for Ritsma. I think coaches and drivers need to better use their status and knowledge. it really brings them together. Not possible this season. I think it could only be better in every way.”
Rost knows better than anyone where the shoe is stuck. “Ultimately, all individual distances are more important than the pursuit of such a team. I also agree with that. Five kilometers remained the distance for me. I definitely want to be included in the team that is pursuing a good plan. As long as that doesn’t work, we’re really doing something wrong.”
dream trio
Ritsma also warned that he is not a man of guarantees. “I’m not talking about the dream trio. My goal is to bring the best skateboarders to the field.”
In any case, he looked at the baptism of fire with joy and appropriate pride. In any case, it suits him more in his new position than the administrative burden he sometimes has to overcome.
“It’s a lot of fun doing this job at times like these. That’s why I succeeded. Winning this way is different from standing on the ice. However, I think tonight I celebrated much more enthusiastically after my own win.”
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.
