Maarten Meiners can look back on his Olympic debut with satisfaction. The skier from Naarden finished eighteenth in the giant slalom. It was the first time since 1952 that a Dutchman took part in skiing at the Winter Games.
Meiners finished over two runs with a time of 2.15.48. The gold went to the Swiss Marco Odermatt with 2:09.35.
In the run-up to his race, Meiners struggled with physical discomfort. “Three days ago I went through my back,” he said after his first run for the NOS camera. “I could hardly walk after that, so I’m happy that I was able to start relatively healthy.”
Afterwards he was very satisfied with his participation. “It’s great to be here. I see this as an intermediate step to really become part of the global top thirty.” He succeeded the brothers Peter and Dick Pappenheim with his participation in the Winter Games. They became 52nd and 70th in Oslo in 1952.
Meiners’ friends watched proudly last night: