Kjeld Nuis trumps Jenning de Boo and sprints to European title at 1000 meters, also gold for Marijke Groenewoud | Sport

Two years ago, Nuis had to settle for silver at the European Championships in Thialf behind fellow countryman Thomas Krol, who also won the Olympic title in the kilometer a month later. Krol is missing from this European Championship. He failed to qualify for the National Championships a week earlier.

“Did I find it exciting too? Well, quite a bit,” Nuis responded shortly after his golden race at NOS. “After 600 meters I was still behind Jenning de Boo’s time, but I knew that. I didn’t think that was strange, so I can remain calm. I thought: stay calm, don’t push it, make a good outside bend and you’ll get it. I fought until the finish and then I rode to gold based on my endurance,” said Nuis.

“You can see from Jenning and Tim that they ride a very strong first 600 meters, but that it is now a bit harder than last week. When I saw their times and races I knew I could beat them. Of course I was afraid that those young boys were going to beat me now, because they are super good, our entire team is super good. Another 1, 2 and 3, that says something.”

Marijke Groenewoud surprised with the European title in the 3000 meters at the European Championships in Heerenveen. The 24-year-old Friezin beat Olympic champion Irene Schouten and world champion Ragne Wiklund from Norway with a time of 3.56.27. It is Groenewoud’s first international title in the 3000 meters.

Groenewoud defeated Wiklund in the final stage, who always kept a good distance and achieved the third fastest time of 3.59.09. Groenewoud kept up the fast laps and also stayed below Schouten’s split times, who had to settle for silver with 3.58.70. Elisa Dul came fourth.

Wiklund suffered her last defeat in the 3000 meters in November 2022, when Schouten defeated her in Thialf with a track record of 3.54.04. After that, the Norwegian was about half a second faster at the World Championships on the same ice rink. Schouten was even faster than Groenewoud a week earlier at the National Championships.

Defending defender Schouten did not manage to really distance herself from fellow countrywoman and teammate Elisa Dul during her ride. Only on the final lap was she able to stay clearly ahead of her on the last inside bend. Afterwards she was visibly not satisfied with her time, which was not much faster than the 4:00.96 of the Italian Francesca Lollobrigida. Dul finished in 3.59.30.

Groenewoud started much faster and after the first few laps was more than two seconds below Schouten’s split times. She also did not let opponent Wiklund get any closer and skated to her first individual European title.

The Dutch skaters won the team sprint title for the first time at the European Distance Championships in Heerenveen. Marit Fledderus, Femke Kok and Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong were faster than Poland and Norway with a time of 1.27.36. Rijpma-De Jong, as the third driver, was unable to stay in the wake of Fledderus and Kok. With her final lap she still remained below the time of 1.28.06 of the Polish skaters.

At the previous European Championships in 2022 in Heerenveen, the skaters did not participate in the team sprint. In 2018 and 2020, the skaters behind Russia took silver. The Russian and Belarusian skaters are not allowed to participate in this European Championship due to the war in Ukraine. Only five teams participated in the non-Olympic event.

The Dutch skaters have not succeeded in prolonging the European title in the team pursuit. At the European Championship distances in Heerenveen, Marcel Bosker, Chris Huizinga and Bart Hoolwerf had to put Norway ahead of them and they also took the bronze behind Italy with 3.41.36. The Norwegians with Sander Eitrem, Peder Kongshaug, Sverre Lunde Pedersen were much faster with a world record of 3.34.22.

Last year in March, Bosker won the world title in the team pursuit with Patrick Roest and Beau Snellink. The Norwegians are the reigning Olympic champions with Kongshaug, Pedersen and Engebråten.

Eitrem, Kongshaug and Pedersen were faster than the top time of 3.34.47 that the Americans had set in Salt Lake City in 2021. They also remained well below the track record of 3.37.97 with which Bosker won the European title with Sven Kramer and Patrick Roest two years ago.

Program Saturday
2:30 PM: Team sprint men
2:46 p.m.: 500m women
3:29 p.m.: 5000m men
5:03 PM: 1500m women

Program Sunday
2.15 pm: Women’s team pursuit
2:37 PM: 1500m men
3:31 PM: 1000m women
4:19 p.m.: 500m men
5:06 PM: Mass start women
5:29 p.m.: Mass start men