Clover would once have stood with a flag over her head, her 24th birthday was now

Only 29 days later, on her 24th birthday, she found herself on the Olympiastadion track with a red, white and blue flag on her head. Of course, Klaver also knew, the battle for global gold is not a tournament for European titles. Monaco is not the same as Eugenio. And an individual lap of honor is different from the shared joy after a victory in the 4 x 400 meter relay.

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However, on Saturday night Klaver is radiant ear to ear in her capacity as a gold winner at the European Championships. Together with Eveline Saalberg, Lisanne de Witte and the finisher Femke Bol she set a time of 3.20.87. She earned the quartet a standing ovation from the German audience during a lap of honor that seemed to be endless.

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Fastest female relay for the European title at 4×400 meters

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Klaver was visibly enjoying himself, but still touring with mixed feelings. “I’ve had 23 birthdays in my life, but it’s never been this special. I like it when it’s different. This win makes my day. But not my week. Because this European Championship didn’t do what I wanted.”

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She had not gone to Bavaria for a fifth place in the 200 meters and a sixth place in the 400 meters. It was the day after Eugene’s world championships, she seemed to be clearing up. “That’s no excuse, though.”

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His times in the European Championship finals, 22.88 and 50.56, were not that bad, he said. Certainly not with the awareness of having been ill for a week between the World Cup and the European Championship, where she herself does not exclude being hit by the crown.

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“After a tournament in which I gave everything, it often happens to me. Then it is as if all the efforts of the whole year came out in one fell swoop.” On the individual songs, that preparation wreaked havoc with hitches. “Normally I destroy everything. Now I just couldn’t.”

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Annoying older brother

However, on the penultimate day of the European Championship, she still outdid herself. As runner-up, Klaver played a vital role in the relay victory by leading the Netherlands to first place midway through the race.

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And that until recently he still considered the 400 meters, with or without flying start, as the annoying big brother of his beloved 200 meters. In her time as a talented junior in the 200 meters, she didn’t even think about throwing herself on the whole lap. “If I have to walk that far, I’d rather take the car,” she once said.

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But little runners with a mind of their own grow up and at some point reach a level where the coach’s will is law. It was his coach Bram Peters at Papendal Sports Center who, in consultation with Laurent Meuwly, decided a few years ago to focus on 400 meters.

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Last month, in Eugene, she saw exactly what her personal trainer Peters saw in her in her new specialty. In the mixed 4 x 400 meters relay, a number that is not run during the European Championship, she finished second together with Tony van Diepen, Liemarvin Bonevacia and Femke Bol.

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ANP

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The Oregon 2022 sequel turned out to be a two-sided tournament for Klaver. She was the first ever Dutch athlete to participate in a World Cup final in the 400 meters, but she finished just off the podium with 50.33. In the semi-final battle, she had set the Dutch record of 50.18 the day before.

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The 4 x 400 women then turned Oregon into a real deception. An incorrect transfer of the baton resulted in disqualification. With that, Klaver’s American Dream burst like a bubble.

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In the last month he has also had to patiently observe how his national best time in the 400 meters has been improved twice by Bol. Which set the standard at 49.44 during the European Championship final.

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Netherlands Land of 400 meters

Then the same Bol who raked in gold for Klaver cum suis with a phenomenal final shot on Saturday night. A perspective victory for a quartet that finished sixth in Tokyo 2020.

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Life is good in the 400-meter Netherlands, even Klaver knew that. He saw his European Championship mainly in a bigger picture, with an oblique eye that he already invited to Paris 2024. By the way, without using the word P.

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Bol happy and tired after the third gold: ‘I can’t take it anymore’

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“I need a tournament like this to become resilient and stronger as an athlete. If I can finish a World Cup and European Championship in a row in such a short time, that says a lot. Then in the future I will be able to compete in a tournament in one. . ” give even more time. “

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But just worry, she laughed, it was time for a little party. How did you celebrate your birthday and the European title? “With a glass of water. Okay?”

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