Kerkhoff broke her personal record on the 5000 meters during the OKT by almost three seconds: 6.46.72. “I definitely realized that I was setting a PR,” she reflects. “At that moment you want to give it your all. I noticed that the audience was very behind me and was cheering loudly.”
A few weeks earlier, Kerkhoff rode her first World Cup race in Hamar. She won a gold medal there in the mass start. The success still feels surreal for the skater, who was born and raised in Oostwoud. “I have been riding laps in the West Fries for many years,” Kerkhoff smiles. She now lives in Heerenveen, where she also trains. “But I still like coming to Oostwoud.”
Support from teammates
Her teammates Marijke Groenewoud and Merel Conijn have also qualified for the games. “That’s really nice, then we can all go through the same process together,” says Kerkhoff, who gets a lot of support from the close bond with her teammates.