There is no size on Irene Schouten. After the successful Olympic qualifying tournament last week, Schouten also captured the national marathon title on artificial ice this afternoon. It was her sixth title, a record. No skater has ever been so many times Dutch champion.
On the artificial ice rink De Meent in Alkmaar, 29-year-old Schouten won the final sprint after a hundred rounds from a group of ten skaters. Arianna Pruisscher grabbed the silver, Iris van der Stelt the bronze.
“The final had to come from far,” a happy Schouten told the NOS. “It was made difficult for me, yes. Because they all know that I really want to win, of course. I think I deserved it.”
iron hand
Schouten has ruled the marathon with an iron hand in recent years. She won her first national title in 2016. In all editions that followed, she was the winner. The marathon was not held in 2020 due to the corona measures.
Until today, the late Atje Keulen-Deelstra shared the record with Schouten with five victories. The Frisian won in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1980.” After today, Schouten’s counter stands at six. “Bizarre. And that on the track where I started,” said Schouten. “That’s just really nice. 2022 is off to a great start.”
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Schouten will be in action at the Olympic Games next month. She placed convincingly on the 3 and 5 kilometers and normally also drives the team pursuit and the mass start.