Kjeld Nuis laughs and calls himself an “old man”, but he definitely doesn’t feel like it. “Not at all.” And especially when he looks at his new, very young opponent: 19-year-old American Jordan Stolz.
Nuis (33) starts her fifteenth skating season at the highest level this weekend at the World Cup qualifying tournament in Thialf, but there are no signs of wear or trouble. “I still enjoy it every day. Even if things don’t go well and you object, it’s a great satisfaction.”
Nuis: “I had a very nice summer. Everyone will probably say this before the game, but it’s true. No pain, disease, belongings or corona cases. Nothing. “I am in very good shape and I am getting rewarded.”
Fastest Dutchman
At Inzell at the beginning of the month, Nuis was the fastest Dutchman in practice races over 1000 metres, and last weekend Joep Wennemars and Hein Otterspeer were faster at Heerenveen. The experienced Nuis understands this better than anyone: That doesn’t mean much.
“You should never call yourself rich. I don’t really do that either. I enjoy good form and try to get the best out of myself. “Everyone is going to do it, everyone is hungry and trying to show the best version of themselves.”
Nuis knows all the details, can immediately recall the years when things went well and the seasons when things went wrong. He even recreates individual trips from his memories.
For example, his first international success? “There’s a World Cup final here in Thialf, behind Shani Davis and Denny Morrison.” Does he still know what time it is? “Wow, no.” After a few seconds of thinking, arriving at 1.46.1.
Nuis was five-tenths behind with a time of 1:46.61. “Oh shit. But it was a very good match.”
There isn’t much of a problem with his skating memory. “I don’t look back on anything, I just know this. I remember this too, I remember many trips like this. For example, I was there after 1,100 meters at the world championships against Ivan Skobrev in Hamar, I know such things very well. Good morning my baby.”
Proud of
Nuis has a rival since last season, who was just five years old when he participated in the World Championship distances for the first time: Jordan Stolz. In March, the only American Thief, then 18, won the world championships in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters.
Nuis has some criticism about the way Stolz approached the longest of the three distances. “I think he rode the 1,500 meters quite cowardly, to be honest.”
Nuis: “He has a lot of speed in his legs. He runs 34.0 in the 500 meters, I could never do that. At 1,000 meters we get closer together and at 1,500 meters it’s about exchanging pennies. But he can.” So I’m going on a five-kilometer journey. Then I think: Let it go, you have enough content but it’s not working.
“He won in Stavanger with a very flat ride (a World Cup race, editor’s note) and here on Thialf I am also ahead after 1,100 metres. Then I think: Why am I in front of someone who is so fast?”
“He doesn’t know what he can do yet.”
Coward or not, last weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Stolz ran the fastest 1,500 meters of all time at sea level: 1:42.80.
Nuis said a few days before Stolz arrived this time: “I don’t think he knows what he can do yet, I think he can do it much faster.”
“But it’s up to us to make sure it doesn’t stay that way for as long as possible.”
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.
