She didn’t think it was a congratulations, but Melissa Wijfje was definitely happy with this step forward. In the qualifying tournament held at the end of October, the 28-year-old figure skater qualified for the World Cup for the first time in three years.
Tonight he also hopes to qualify for this winter’s top championships at the Daikin NK distances in Thialf. The hopeful start to the season has been a boost for Wijfje after several seasons where World Cup tickets, let alone podium places, seemed a long way off.
The woman was injured in her lower leg. Despite all the research, no concrete results could be reached for a long time. No one could say for sure what exactly was wrong with him.
Wijfje, who underwent shin surgery earlier this year, is on his way back.
View the national championship distance schedule below:
Wijfje won the biggest title of her career at the national distance championships four years ago. At the end of 2019, she surprisingly defeated Ireen Wüst and won the gold medal at the state championships in the 1,500 meters.
After her win, she said with excitement, “Women first, who would have thought?” he replied. “I wouldn’t invest any money in myself. But if that were the case, I would be a millionaire.”
Olympic
Two years later, at the end of 2021, Wijfje was an underdog in the fight to get a ticket for the Olympic Games. But he sensed something was wrong with OCT. “I told my coaches: This is not right, my lower leg is not working the way it should on the ice.”
More targeted training in the spring and summer failed to resolve the symptoms. “We always thought we could achieve this with rest and physical therapy, but that didn’t help enough.”
Watch Wijfje’s win and reaction from the 2019 Nationals below.
The enjoyment of the sport diminished and doubts increased. “It started with the wisps. He also had problems in his head,” says coach Arjan Samplonius.
Woman: “You’re thinking: How do I get this under control, can I even slip?” And: Should I make time for this? “It’s very frustrating not being able to put your finger on the sore spot.” “
Samplonius says it is not surprising that these questions arose and that Wijfje even considered resigning. “Every athlete has this type of injury problem. We encouraged them to continue. Once we found the cause and Melissa was able to have surgery, there was a way back. “He was able to take advantage of that.”
The women’s complaints stemmed from their shin bone. After just a few laps, the lower part of his left leg continued to hurt, meaning he could no longer move his foot and ankle optimally. During the operation, the membrane around the tibia was cut to give more space to the muscle.
“Normally you should be able to do it all over again two or three weeks after an operation like this, but having it going for that long it became a much bigger defect in my system.”
lap after lap
The only solution: gradually build up your training. “It literally went from round to round every week,” Samplonius says. At the qualifying tournament in October, Wijfje managed to cover 1,500 meters (about three and a half laps) at competition pace; he had not yet completed the three-kilometer workout.
Wijfje shuttled between group B and group A in the 1,500 meters World Cup. Although she knows this is part of the healing process, it’s not always easy. “I have fought for a place on the podium in the past. Even though you know you can’t expect it right away, it’s in your head.”
Now they can each do 7.5 laps of three kilometers again, but Wijfje wants to do more than just participate. It is not in their nature to restrain their own ambitions.
“Sometimes setting unrealistic goals”
“I think you have to enter a competition with a certain level of expectations, otherwise it’s better not to participate. You have to be combative, otherwise you won’t get anywhere near the competitive energy you need. “Sometimes you have to set unrealistic goals for yourself, put yourself in that position.”
“I want to be able to look at skating so realistically at the end of the season that I can be on the highest podium again. “Maybe that won’t be the only thing you can do this season, but I’ll be back next year.” “We can start preparing for the matches in Milan.”
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.
