De Boo thus became the first man to ride a 33er (33.98) in the Frisian ice temple. “This was once on my bucket list,” the Groninger beamed. “I was quite annoyed that Sebas was faster than me in the first race. That gave me something extra in the second round. That makes you quite eager, I must say. When I crossed the finish line, I couldn’t immediately cheer. I really thought: fuck, what kind of time is this?
Bucket list
De Boo is only 21 years old. So when he says ‘this was once on my bucket list’, at what age did he actually want to break down this barrier? Because someday sounds very far away. De Boo: “Of course I hope that my career can last a very long time. Such a 33 was a goal, but certainly not for this year.” What else is on that wish list? “Everyone can guess that,” said De Boo. “So Olympic gold.” That can also be achieved this season. The 30th Winter Games will be held in Milan in February.
So Diniz brought out the best in De Boo. The fact that the Reggeborgh sprinter was not able to do this in the first race also surprised the skating world. “I was quite nervous before that first match. It was announced that I was world champion. That’s all great fun. But you know what, you have to do it again and again.”
Under 34 seconds! Jenning de Boo with sensational second 500 meters to track record and national title
What De Boo himself did especially well is that he has something extra to offer when he is challenged. “You need rivalry. Or from Stolz, or from the Japanese. During training I am sometimes even shocked by Stefan Westenbroek.”
So Diniz was the boss at first: 34.34 at 34.44. In the second round, De Boo put everything right: 33.98 against Diniz’s 34.66. Diniz was also deeply impressed. “A 33’er at Thialf, who would have thought at this stage of this season?”, said the IKO-X2O sprinter. “Really very clever.”