The Netherlands has won a European team medal in the screens for the first time. The Dutch swords fencers came in second on Wednesday at the European championships in the Italian city of Genoa. In earlier editions of the European Championships, the Netherlands achieved a podium place three times, it was always a medal in an individual part.
During a team match in the Degen screens, three fencers from two countries compete against each other in parties of three minutes. The score rises during the duels. After nine games there is a final score.
The performance of the Dutch team, which consists of the Tristan and Rafaël Tulen brothers, David van Nunen and Konrad Veenenbos, is remarkable. The team started on Wednesday, the day on which all competitions in the country competition in the Degen section take place, with a victory over Poland. This was followed by a surprising victory over Olympic champion Hungary in the quarterfinals.
Rafaël Tulen was injured in the semi -final against Germany. Reserve Konrad Veenenbos was strong, he managed to give the Netherlands the lead and further expand that lead in a later duel.
In the final, a stunt against reigning European champion France turned out to be too high. The Netherlands soon lagged behind. Despite a great victory of an attacking Tristan Tulen on one of the French, the Netherlands no longer managed to repair the damage.
Limited resources
Screens is a small and therefore vulnerable sport in the Netherlands, in contrast to, for example, France or Italy. For example, the screen association has been without a national coach for years. That the screen team can use the training facilities for Dutch top athletes at the Papendal sports complex is due to Tristan Tulen. The Olympian is the leader of the Dutch team. In 2022 he obtained the so-called A-status from NOC-NSF. He gave him access to a top sports allowance and a training place with his teammates at Papendal.
Last fall, Tulen lost his A-status, after a disappointing Olympic tournament in Paris. He even thought about stopping, he said in conversation with the local sports medium Arnhem Sports. Due to the loss of financing, he has resumed his job as a physiotherapist. He can no longer pay his own trainer. With the team, he is still allowed to train at Papendal.
Whether the Dutch fencers are recovering from this performance. For that status, according to the guidelines from NOC-NSF “a global top 8 performance” needed at a tournament that is equal to a World Cup in terms of “participants and delivered league.” Next month the Screens World Championships will take place in Georgia.
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