The world titles and world records make Nils van der Poel the big favorite to win two skating golds in Beijing next month. Now it is clear that he will also have an advantage when it comes to the starting order.
The superior efforts In the World Cup before Christmas, van der Poel placed as number one in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. It guarantees him to go in one of the last three pairs in both Olympic races. The top six in the ranking end up in seeding group 1.
There are not three skiers from the Netherlands, who are among Sweden’s main competitors in the 5,000 meters. Jorrit Bergsma is seventh in the ranking and Patrick Roest ninth. Sven Kramer, who rides in the place of another Dutchman, Marwin Talmas, is ranked eleventh. The Dutch will all go in the second starting group, the one before Nils van der Poel.
The same applies to 10,000 meters, where the skating-crazy Netherlands has two places and is represented by Bergsma and Roest.
Johan Röjler, van der Poel’s coach, is convinced that the competitors had the rules clear to them, but that not everything went according to plan when they opted out of competitions in North America.
– They stood over to train and top the form for the Dutch’s own qualifiers in the middle of the day. They had probably hoped to run so well in the previous World Cup races that it would be enough for at least one place in seeding group 1, but it did not, says Röjler.
He sees the starting lineup as a big plus for van der Poel.
– It is a great advantage to be able to set the right starting speed with the goal of hitting it. On the other hand, there may be other competitors who go after Nils and have the same advantage, says Röjler.
The official starting order is drawn closer to the Olympics, but it is clear that van der Poel in both competitions will get one of the other five highest ranked riders as a teammate: Ted-Jan Bloemen, Canada, David Ghiotto, Italy, Bart Swings, Belgium, Ruslan Zacharov, Russia or Alexander Rumyantsev, also from Russia.
Van der Poel made it clear in an interview last week that it is the gold and not new world records that will be the important thing in the Olympics.
– Unfortunately, I think I will go to the Olympics with the goal to win, not with the goal to go as fast as I can. To “cool off” a little. This means that if I go out in the last couple, I will go on the current leadership time, and then try to make a better ending. Type last six laps. A little depending on who I go against, he explained.
The Golden Jump travels to Beijing on January 31.
Read more:
The 88-year-old who shaped the phenomenon Nils van der Poel
van der Poel on the China issue: “It is not wise for me to criticize”
van der Poel slept during the gala – waking up four every morning before the Olympics
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