7 times gold, 5 times silver and 5 times bronze. If it were up to Erben Wennemars, the Dutch skaters would return from Beijing with a massive amount of the honorary metal. Sportnieuws.nl invites Wennemars to check all ski distances (on the long track). The world champion – who says he has a very positive attitude – expects even 1 Cleaning Campaign.
door: Brian Visor
“Thomas Kroll will use the 500m as a warm-up for the 1,000m and 1,500m,” Winmars opens up his predictions. “It will be very difficult for Meryn Scheperkamp.”
men’s 500 meters
no medals
Women’s 500 meters
Vimek Cook (Bronze)
500 meters is not a distance for the Dutch. Wennemars expect the Asians to be very fast at this distance. Fimke Kok saves the Dutch honor from a shorter distance. So does this mean that the Netherlands is also not fast in the 1000 metres? “No,” said Erben Weinmars. “I even expect a Cleaning Campaign. In all the World Cup competitions we became 1, 2 and 3. We even had to leave Kild Noyce, the Olympic champion, at home.”
ANP / Erben Wennemars.
men’s 1000 meters
Thomas Kroll (Gold)
Hein Otterspeer (Silver)
Kay Verbig (Bronze)
Women’s 1000 meters
Gotta Leerdam (Gold)
In the 1500m: “Miho Takagi is the real favorite of the women out there, but I also think the silver and bronze are very nice.” And with men? “Nuis and Krol are the two guys who have to do this. For Nuis it’s the only distance anyway, so he’s going to put all his energy into it.”
men 1500 meters
Kjeld Noyce (Gold)
Thomas Kroll (Silver)
Women’s 1500m
Antoinette de Jong (Silver)
Erin West (bronze)
Then long-distance sports other than the 500-meter and 1000-meter race. “The 10 kilometers goes to Nils van der Poel, that Swedish sensation,” Winmars looks at the two longest distances. “Let me put it this way: Then Patrick Roest will go 5km. Still a bit chauvinistic, huh.”
men’s 5000 meters
Patrick Rost (Gold)
Jorit Bergsma (Bronze)
3000 meters women’s
Erin Schouten (gold)
Antoinette de Jong (bronze)
“That Irene Schuten is unbeatable, right, this year? He’s won it all: The gold prospector for the Netherlands. “Because not only the 3,000m goes to Scotten, she also writes the 5,000m in her name, Winnemar believes.
AFP / Irene Scottin “Golddigger”.
men’s 10000 meters
Jorit Bergsma (Silver)
Patrick Roest (bronze)
5000 meters women’s
Erin Schouten (gold)
The Wennemars are expecting a surprise in the team start. “In the group start it will be Marijke Groenewoud! Everyone goes to look at Schouten and then Groenewoud – who is also very good – wins the race.”
Men’s group start
no medals
Women’s group start
Marijic Gronaud (Gold)
This is where Holland’s gold ends, because: “In the team pursuit, the US wins the men and Japan the women.”
men chase team
Bronze
Women’s pursuit team
silver
“We’ll have a beautiful medal mirror in no time! Where can we sign? I’m a positive person, yes. But I have every confidence in that!”
