Propulsion turns out to be the way to skate in quick time in the team’s quest. Norway won the gold medal with it on Friday during the World Cup.
Propulsion turns out to be the way to skate in quick time in the team’s quest. Norway won the gold medal with it on Friday during the World Cup.
Sven Kramer doesn’t like to push while chasing the team at all. That way, he said after the race in which the Netherlands came disappointingly fourth behind winning Norway, not the strongest team won, but the team that could push out the best. “The Norwegians used to only pay. It annoys, but as long as it is allowed, we have to deal with it. The team with the best individual skaters will not win, but the team that can push the best if you master the push will pay off,” said Al-Frizi.
Skiing doesn’t have to be this way
According to Kramer, it’s not the way to go skiing. Although he admitted that the Dutch national team did not lead the best race during the Second World Cup in Heerenveen. The trio’s time, with teammates from Jumbo Visma, Chris Hozinga and Marcel Busker alongside Kramer, was only good at fourth place at 3.42.25. Norway unacceptably advanced to gold on a solid track record (3.39.08), while the silver medals were for Canada (3.39.94) and bronze for Russia (3.41.40).
The winning Norwegians took advantage of a new tactic, in which they did not change one time during the team’s quest from the start and the two back-skaters pushed in front of them constantly. It turned out to be a recipe for quick time and success. According to the Norwegian leader Alan Dahl Johansson, who had the company of Ambassador Lund Pedersen and Hallgeer Engbraten, he did not invent it himself. The United States has done this before. This makes it easy to drive quickly. I was in the front, but I died. I had to keep skiing forward. Because switching takes time. ”
Not switching at all is not an option
Canada also paid, but changed, as if very limited. Until recently, while chasing the team, it was normal for a tired skater to back off his head after one or more laps, after which one of his teammates took over. According to Rimmelt Eldring, the Dutch coach for the Canadian women’s team, not changing at all is not an option for his team. We change less, but having no changes at all is not good for us. Then we lose speed.
The Canadian women, along with Valerie Maltese, Ivani Blondin and Isabel Weidman, also won the gold medal in a world record of 2.54.64. The Netherlands, which appeared on the ice with Irene Faust, Antoinette de Jong and Irene Scoutin, recorded 2.55.58, which is also below the old Japanese record of 2.55.7. Norway ranked third among women in Thialf (2.58, 22).
Enter
According to Kramer, the Netherlands will have to come to terms with new propulsion tactics, but the question will be whether it is sufficiently positioned for the important World Cup distances in Heerenveen in February. He and his colleagues, Groninger Huizinga and Busker with Drentes Gronings’ roots, also noted that the Netherlands has yet to ski in its strongest position. For example, the team still lacks Patrick Roest, the best skater at the moment.
More aggressive
According to Busker, the team should have been skiing with more power. “It wasn’t a good stage, but it’s hard to tell exactly what it was. Because I haven’t spoken to others yet. But I think we drove a lot. We skated with a 5-kilometer stroke, while we should have been skiing with a lot more force as if we were at 1500 meters. So … Sit deep, drive fast and drive as fast as you can. It’s been too slow now. Not good enough.
During the first World Cup Finals a week ago, the Netherlands won a time of 3.40.33. We were also a little more tired, because we kept training. The Norwegians were very good and strong. But I think it is definitely possible to get it. We still have Patrick, ”Huizinga said. in hand.
