Irene Schouten was extremely disappointed on Sunday in the middle of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada. Even though she had already won gold three times at the World Championship distances – in the 3,000 meters, team pursuit and mass start – when she saw that Joy Beune had dipped below her time in the 5,000 meters, she knew: this world title has been lost. She buried her face in her hands in frustration.
This is exactly what skater Schouten is like: she always wants to win everywhere, no matter what competition she is at the start of. And she probably wanted to win this race even more, now that it has become clear that it may have been the last of her career.
Because Schouten announced on Instagram on Monday afternoon that she is quitting top sport. In the message, the 31-year-old skater writes that she “has achieved what I wanted” and that it is now time for a life outside the sport. “I’m really looking forward to that.” She has not yet decided whether Schouten will stop immediately or at the end of the season. She could still try to qualify for the World All-round Championships in Inzell in March through the National All-round Championships, which are scheduled for next weekend.
Regardless of that decision, the career of one of the most successful skaters in Dutch history comes to an end. At the Beijing Winter Games in 2022, Schouten won three gold medals (3,000 and 5,000 meters, mass start) and one bronze medal (team pursuit) – no Dutch person has ever done that. She also became world champion nine times, including once in the all-round event, and won five European titles.
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Late bloomer
Schouten, who was born in 1992 in Wervershoof in North Holland and comes from a family of flower growers, can rightly be called a late bloomer. She broke through with the seniors at the age of 17, but struggled for a long time to consistently perform at a high level – “finding the button”, as she called it. If she found it, she could compete with the world’s top over long distances, as she showed at the 2016 World Championships when she won bronze in the 5,000 meters. But things often went wrong, such as at the Olympic qualifying tournament in the run-up to the Pyeongchang Games (2018), where she blocked from the tension and did not qualify at any distance.
Only then did she develop into a consistent world star, mainly because her technical skating improved. Schouten always had to rely on her content and strength and preferred to train with the men in her team, but it was only in the last four years that she was able to effectively transfer her endurance and strong push to the ice and convert them into fast times.
At least that applied to long track skating. Schouten also had a preference for marathons and had been a frequent winner there for years, partly thanks to her mighty final sprint. She became national champion eight times. At Team Zaanlander, for which she has been skating since 2015 and has formed an inseparable duo with coach Jillert Anema, she was able to combine the two disciplines to her heart’s content.
Give priority
The timing of Schouten’s decision is unexpected, so soon after winning three world titles and a silver medal, but it is not entirely surprising that she now wants to start a different phase of life. Schouten had an eye for this throughout her career.
Just before the Games in 2022, she told NRC how much difficulty she had in giving her sport priority over her loved one, her friends and her family, especially after her mother suffered a severe brain haemorrhage seven years ago and has been living in a nursing home ever since. “I can hardly help, while they would be there for me. I now consciously choose skating because I know it is temporary. I can’t live like this for another ten years.”
Even during the Beijing Games, the supreme moment of her skating career, Schouten was still busy with other things. For example, she digitally furnished her new house from China, which is now being built. And she arranged invitations for her wedding; She is now married to her husband Dirkjan.
It did not stop Schouten from achieving a historic performance during two February weeks at the Ice Ribbon in the Chinese capital. She personally liked her first title in the 3,000 meters best – from that moment on she was Olympic champion forever -, but the real highlight was her race in the 5,000 meters.
Skating in a flow, Schouten gave a demonstration of staying, ten strokes on the straight end, seven times leg over, for twelve rounds. Her lap times kept getting lower towards the end, leading to an Olympic, Dutch and personal record, when it really had to be done. Schouten has hardly ever been satisfied with her own races, but she also had to admit: “This was very good.”
It wasn’t going to get any better than that, Schouten must have realized, and that was why it was time to stop. Only for one race would she ever consider taking to the ice with her characteristic dedication, she writes in her farewell message: “Only winning the Eleven Cities Tour is still missing from my list.”