The end of an era has arrived. Ice queen Irene Schouten announced on Monday that she would retire as a skater. NH Sport followed Schouten in the autumn of 2013 during the Marathon Cup in The Hague. A beautiful time capsule of the then 21-year-old West Frisian with today’s knowledge.
Irene Schouten has now become an indispensable part of the collective memory. How different was that in 2013. The 21-year-old West Frisian achieved the overall victory three times during the first three Marathon Cups. Reason enough for NH Sport to travel with her to the Marathon Cup in The Hague.
As well-known as Schouten is at the moment, how different is it in 2013. Schouten has already won her first Dutch title in the mass start, but no (inter)national success has yet been achieved over the long distance.
The rest ultimately turns out to be history; she will become one of the best skaters our country has ever known. Three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing, 8 gold medals at the World Championships distances, five gold medals at the European Championships distances and one time world champion all-round are on her list of achievements.
Statement Irene Schouten
“After my successful Olympic Games and many world titles, I can look back on a wonderful and successful career,” Schouten wrote in a statement on Monday. “I have achieved what I wanted. Only winning the Eleven Cities Tour is still missing from my list. I also realize that there is a life besides top sport. I am really looking forward to that. Lately I have thought carefully and decided that this would be my last season. Now that the decision has been made, it feels good to share this immediately.”
View the report above for a beautiful time capsule by Irene Schouten.