Jan 01, 2024 at 4:45 PM Update: 2 minutes ago
Irene Schouten became Dutch marathon skating champion for the eighth time in her career on Monday. The top skater was the first to cross the finish line in Leeuwarden after a hundred laps.
The national title did not come to Schouten. Twenty laps before the end, a leading group with three skaters rode far ahead of the peloton. It was reason for the Olympic champion to pursue alone.
Within four laps, Schouten had made contact with Femke Mossinkoff, Arianna Pruisscher and Maaike Verweij. Partly thanks to the help of Marijke Groenewoud, who was falling back, the leading group put the peloton one lap behind.
Three laps before the end, Schouten broke away from the leading group, meaning she can call herself the best marathon skater in the Netherlands for the eighth time in a row. Her teammate Verweij came second. Mossinkoff took the bronze.
With the eighth title, Schouten tightens her own record. In 2020 she tied the score with Atje Keulen-Deelstra, who was the record holder for forty years with five championships. Last week, Schouten also won the national titles in the mass start and the 3,000 and 5,000 meters in long track speed skating.
The men will compete for the national title in marathon skating from 5:15 p.m. Evert Hoolwerf became Dutch champion last year.
Image: ANP
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Marathon skatingIrene SchoutenNK marathon skating
2024-01-01 15:45:13
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