It’s been a while since the last time Femke Kok didn’t win a 500-meter race. On February 3, 2024, during the World Cup competition in Quebec, Canada, she fell one hundredth short of the win, which went to South Korea’s Min-Sun Kim.
Since then, Kok has been undefeated over the shortest distance in long track speed skating; at the World Cup distances, at the World Cup sprint, European title tournaments, World Cup competitions, national championships. For good measure, she also set a resounding world record of 36.09 in Salt Lake this fall, almost three-tenths faster than the old top time.
And now she was also the best on Sunday at the Olympic qualifying tournament (OKT) in Thialf and qualified for the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. That was not a surprise, but the match in Thialf was still unique. Because Kok was so good that she dared to withdraw from the second one after the first of two races over 500 meters.
I don’t think anyone is going to get offended by this
Just before that she had set a new track record (36.87), she is the only woman who has driven under 37 seconds (twice now) in Heerenveen. “I don’t think anyone will be affected by this,” she responded almost seriously when a journalist jokingly asked her how sure she was.
Kok and her coach Gerard van Velde were not even completely satisfied with her ride. “I didn’t have a super opening, I made a few mistakes in the corner. That keeps me sharp,” said Kok. Van Velde agreed with her. “I think Femke can drive 36.6 here. It was a good, solid ride, but I still see room for improvement.”
Van Velde continues to be amazed by his pupil, he said with satisfaction. “I have never experienced anyone being able to skip a distance on the OKT before, but she can do that at this level. We can afford it.”
Fear of inside bend
Behind Kok, Jutta Leerdam (37.24) and Anna Boersma (37.27) came second and third. Leerdam shed tears of relief immediately after her ride, after she crashed in the 1,000 meters – her distance anyway – last Friday. “That’s where the frustration about the 1,000 meters came out, that I knew I was good but couldn’t finish.”
Leerdam was still scared of the inside bend where she fell on Friday and was left with a blue, stiff knee. “That was still scary, I didn’t take any risks.” When she crossed the line, she immediately felt that her time was sufficient for qualification. “I immediately thought it had to be enough for the top 3.”
Now that she has skated into the Olympic selection, there is a good chance that Leerdam will also be selected for the 1,000 meters. “There was a lot at stake today,” she agreed. “A place at the Games, that chance for the 500 meters, I wanted to show the KNSB that I was good. I am really happy that it turned out this way.”
Boersma was also very happy. She made a mistake in her first ride and then held back to save herself for her second ride. When she recorded the third fastest time, a shrill scream escaped her immediately after the finish. “I cried for a while between the two rides, let everything out and then regrouped. It is still very surreal.” Boersma is still dependent on the performances of others before she is completely certain of an Olympic starting permit.
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Endurance
By canceling the second 500 meters, Kok was able to go to her hotel to rest three hours earlier than her competitors. That came in handy for her because she will be in action again on Monday in much less familiar territory: the 1,500 meters, in which Joy Beune won every World Cup race she started this season and Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong, Marijke Groenewoud, Jutta Leerdam and others can also perform well.
But Kok has held the track record in Thialf since the beginning of this season, after she surprised with a lightning fast time of 1.52.69 in a training race. She hasn’t ridden the distance since.
“I honestly don’t know what to expect because it’s been so long. But I’m looking forward to it and I want to do well,” said Kok, looking ahead. She set her record time just after the summer in which she had trained more on her endurance than in other years. “We’ll see what it’s like tomorrow. With all those 500 meters, I didn’t really have time to do any endurance training, because I also wanted to stay fast.”
In any case, Kok faces it with less stress than last Friday’s 1,000 meters, which she also won and thus secured an Olympic starting ticket. “I was much more relaxed in the run-up to the 500 meters because I had already overcome that first hurdle. Perhaps that is why I rode such a fast time now.”
Her coach Van Velde sees the 1,500 meters as a great challenge and expects a lot from it. “I don’t know what to base it on, because she will only be riding her second 1,500 meters tomorrow. Don’t forget that. But Femke is of course good, so I expect a very good ride.”
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