Ireen Wüst failed to win Olympic gold for the seventh time in her impressive career in Beijing on Tuesday. In the team pursuit, the skater from Goirle failed to reach the final with her teammates Irene Schouten and Antoinette de Jong. In the end, the Dutch trio had to settle for bronze.
The Netherlands was too strong for the Russians in the battle for bronze. The gold went to Canada after Japan’s Nana Takagi crashed in the final corner of the final.
The Dutch skaters had qualified for the semi-finals with Wüst in the ranks on Saturday with the third time. The trio was then more than three seconds slower than Japan and Canada. Tuesday In the semi-finals, national coach Jan Coopmans sent the exact same team onto the ice with Wüst, Schouten and De Jong. In the battle for bronze, Antoinette de Jong then had to clear the field. Marijke Groenwoud took her place.
The bronze in the team pursuit means the thirteenth Olympic medal for Wüst. She will compete in the 1000 meters in Beijing on Thursday.
Men fourth
The Dutch men did not win a medal in the team pursuit in Beijing. In the battle for bronze, the trio consisting of Sven Kramer, Patrick Roest and Marcel Bosker of the United States lost. The Dutch men were almost three seconds slower.
The gold went to Norway and the Russians captured silver.