Of course Nils van der Poel was happy with his surprising world title in the 5 kilometers on Thursday. But the 24-year-old Swede, who stands out this season as much with his performance on the ice as with his unique view on skating, also sympathized with top favorite Patrick Roest.
Van der Poel remembers exactly when he decided he wanted to become a top skater. After the Viking race – a famous youth race in Thialf – he was twelve, on the bus back from Heerenveen to Sweden and had just lost to Roest for the first time.
“Patrick needed forty seconds for the 500 meters and I needed fifty”, said Van der Poel. “I remember thinking on that bus: I can do that too. There is no skater who has inspired me more than Patrick Roest. That is why it hurt a lot to see him so sad on Thursday.”
Van der Poel himself was largely responsible for the tears of the Dutchman. Roest had lost less than 5 kilometers this season, but in the most important race of the winter – the World Championship distances – he was almost two seconds slower than Van der Poel (6.08.39 at 6.10.05), so that the Scandinavian won the world title.
Almost immediately after his winning race, Van der Poel approached Roest with some comforting words. “I told Patrick that he is the best skater in the world, that he deserved the world title and that I am sorry that he failed to win gold.”
“I consider myself lucky that I don’t have to deal with the same pressure as Patrick”, continued Van der Poel. “People expect him to win every race week after week throughout the season. Very little is expected from me and that makes it a lot easier to always enjoy the moment.”
The World Cup podium of the 5 kilometers, with Patrick Roest, Nils van der Poel and Sergey Trofimov from left to right.
The World Cup podium of the 5 kilometers, with Patrick Roest, Nils van der Poel and Sergey Trofimov from left to right. Photo: Pro Shots
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‘Above all, I want to continue to enjoy’
Pleasure is always the most important motivation for Van der Poel. Its motto is: Life is suffering and then you die. Try to enjoy it while you can. In other words: always try to enjoy life as much as possible.
He was looking for fun when in 2018, after winning the 10k at the World Allround Championships in Amsterdam, he decided to serve in the Swedish army for a year. He sought happiness when he subsequently plunged into ultra running; running distances longer than a marathon. And enjoyment is also number one since he took up his skating career again last summer.
“On January 1, I made a list in a notebook of ten things that I find important,” says Van der Poel. “One of those points was: I want to be the best skater I can be, while having fun in the sport. On Wednesday evening I read that line again, because it is important to remind myself regularly why I do this. Of course I want to be the best I can. But I also want to enjoy it. “
The grandson of a Dutch grandfather laughs when he is asked whether it is not special that he was the first Swede to win gold at the World Championship distances. “Of course that means something to me. I am also very happy that I won and that I have received a lot of positive media attention in Sweden in recent weeks.”
“But I also believe that the more successful you are and the more famous you become, the more difficult it will be to be honest with yourself. That will be the challenge for me now.”
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