‘Thunder’ with Knegt and Schulting does not leave the national coach of the short trackers cold

It was an emotional, turbulent week for the Dutch short track team. In the run-up to the World Cup final in Dordrecht, Suzanne Schulting and Sjinkie Knegt, two eye-catchers, had publicly criticized national coach Niels Kerstholt. Knegt (“raw mess”) did that less tactfully than Schulting (“that way (…) I won’t become world champion) and will have a conversation with the KNSB skating association about his statements next week.

National coach Kerstholt himself remained calm all week, almost laconic, but after the games he acknowledged that the open criticism had not done the Dutch team any good. “If anything has been bad for self-confidence, it’s this week,” he told a handful of journalists. The ‘thunder’, in combination with a few disappointing results, clearly had not bothered him.

Kerstholt then explained that as national coach he must keep an overview of the entire team and now have to let the rest return towards the World Cup, from 10 to 12 March in Seoul, South Korea. “It is going very well in terms of width, but situations like this make the uncertainty very great for some and that does not make you perform well.”

Kerstholt was referring, among others, to figurehead Suzanne Schulting, who finished third in the 1,000 meters and second in the 1,500 meters. The multiple world and Olympic champion said disappointed that she saw her suspicions confirmed with these results. “The last bit of power you need to finish it off is what you’re missing.” She also shared that it has been a full season, which has taken its toll mentally and physically. In addition, there was not enough time “to run a good training block” in recent weeks.

Kerstholt felt sorry for his pupil. “Suzanne always has to show it. That already gives enormous pressure and already costs so much energy.” But if things don’t go smoothly, working harder sometimes doesn’t make sense, Kerstholt remembers from his own career. Next week he will sit down with Schulting to make a plan so that she can peak at the World Cup.

Schulting and Knegt’s criticism focused in particular on the lack of the opportunity to build up ‘power’ during the training sessions. Before the World Cup match in Dordrecht, Kerstholt had already said that it is better not to go too fast as the new national coach, so as not to burn out the team. Making a training schedule in a first year for the entire team is a matter of testing and finding out. “I try to make it fit for everyone, but in the first year you just don’t get it 100 percent fit.”

The ghost of the previous national coach Jeroen Otter, who has taken a sabbatical, haunts the team due to the criticism. “There is just a lot of confidence [in hem] with Sjinkie and Suzanne,” says Kerstholt. “Rightly so. He has always gotten them physically right over the years.” So the current national coach does not think it is surprising that his predecessor is still there in the background to sometimes “have a chat”.

No more petty sport

Otter has been at the basis of the growth of Dutch short track speed skating in recent years and Kerstholt realizes that he has “big shoes to fill”. Schulting said in the media that she wants Kerstholt to consult Otter. Kerstholt slammed on the brakes: “I’m not going to get into a situation where I always have to go to Jeroen to ask what I should do with Suzanne, because then he’d better stand here.”

The criticism from Schulting and Knegt in the media has not damaged Kertstholt’s self-confidence, he says. “I already know what Sjinkie has to complain about. That’s not new. And I also know what others are very happy with, and sometimes those are exactly the same things.” Short track is no longer a small sport, Kerstholt realizes after this week. And: “Sjinkie is a name after all. If he suddenly shouts all kinds of things in the media, it can explode.”

In the sporting field, it was – as is often the case in short track – a weekend full of peaks and troughs for the Dutch team in the ice rink in Dordrecht. Xandra Velzeboer was the first Dutch woman ever to win the World Cup in the 500 meters. Neither the women’s nor men’s relay team qualified for the final, but the mixed relay team won gold.

There are still three training weeks left before the World Cup in Seoul – a period in which the team can train for the first time in a long time. Jens van ‘t Wout will not participate in all laps. He had to withdraw on Sunday because he was suffering too much from a groin injury. A scan is being made, but the World Cup is not expected to be in danger, he said along the track. National coach Kerstholt also expects the coming guy of the Dutch short track speed skating at the World Cup is “just good again”.

Very successful season

In the midst of all the consternation, you would almost forget that the Dutch short track team has had a very successful season, with many medals in the World Cup and at the European Championship. And with young skaters like Xandra Velzeboer and Jens van ‘t Wout who have established themselves in the world top.

Schulting waited for her on Sunday with a bewildered face crystal globe. But when she, together with the South Korean star in the men’s Park Ji-won, received the new prize for the general World Cup classification in the well-filled ice rink, a big smile broke through. The audience rewarded both short track stars with a standing ovation.