Frenzied reactions on social media after gold Ireen Wüst: ‘The greatest athlete in the world!’ | Olympics

Marianne Timmer:

Renate Groenewold:

Mark Tuitert:

Annamarie Thomas:

Maarten van der Weijden:

Humberto Tan:

Helene Hendriks

Roel van Velzen:

Farid Azarkan:

And – of course – the skating queen herself also made herself heard:

Coach Gerard van Velde could hardly put into words his admiration for Wüst after winning the gold in the 1500 meters in Beijing. “I think it is one of the best 1500 meters she has ever ridden. And that at the moment. That is extraordinarily clever,” he said. “The fact that she is now able to do this is a talent of hers. That is why she is also the greatest Olympian in the Netherlands.”

Van Velde saw the focus at Wüst grow as the Games approached. “You could see all week that she rode super well and today she was quite relaxed. When you read her face and attitude, you knew she was ready. That peaking at the right time and how she kept the focus, especially in the last 300 meters, is a real gift of hers. She continued to drive neatly and very efficiently. It was like she had one more lap to go.”

The coach, himself a one-time Olympic champion in the 1000 meters at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, emphasized that it was not the first time for the skater. “She has done this a number of times. The lady is 35 years old. I think this is incredibly beautiful. It is truly a privilege that I have had the opportunity to work with her.”

Van Velde compared Wüst’s ride (1.53.28) with that against the same Ivanie Blondin at the 2020 World Allround Championships in Hamar, Norway. “Then she also started in the inner lane and drove 1.53.89. I had gone through that ride with her. This would be about the ride you should copy, I said, but she executed it much better now.”

When asked what Van Velde had taught Wüst since she joined his team in spring 2020, his answer was very clear. “We learned a lot from her. She knows her body very well and can indicate what she does and does not need. We come from the ‘short side’ and have been able to give her speed”, he referred to his sprinter team. “How you see her getting better in that last week is really a talent of hers. How you can focus like that and grow yourself to this moment is really class.”

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