Conijn won the titles in the 3000 and 5000 meters at the National Championships earlier this fall. She and her team AH-Zaanlander chose not to go to the World Cup competitions in Salt Lake City and Calgary.
Starting points for the Olympic Games
In the remaining World Cup competitions in Heerenveen and Hamar, the Dutch skaters must finish high in the World Cup rankings with three skaters in order to secure the maximum number of starting places for the Olympic Games (nine men and nine women).
“That is why Merel Conijn, who had withdrawn from the first two World Cups, has now been selected to ride the 5000 meters in Thialf,” explains Freek van der Wart, the discipline manager of the skating association. “She can start with a wildcard in the A group and thus make a major contribution to achieving the quota on the longer distances.”