After her world title in the 500 meters, Xandra Velzeboer also won the gold medal in the 1,000 meters at the World Short Track Track Championships in Seoul. The 21-year-old short track star was faster than South Korea’s Choi Min-jeong and Canada’s Courtney Sarault. In a first reaction to the NOS, Velzeboer says she cannot believe her victory yet. “I was very calm before the final and I was super alert. I was able to accelerate so much in the last laps. Really unbelievable.”
The Canadian Courtney Sarault and Claudia Gagnon immediately took the lead in the 1,000 meters, followed by the Dutch Velzeboer and Schulting. Velzeboer seized her chance the moment she was able to overtake the Canadian duo and then left her competitors far behind. It was no longer possible for top favorite Schulting to catch up, she crossed the finish line in fourth place. In the end, the 25-year-old Dutch was even punished by the jury, because she used her hip to push Canadian Claudia Gagnon aside during a last overtaking attempt. Schulting reacts emotionally to her missed medal at the NOS: “I’m just not better than this. I am completely broken to the bone, I have nothing left in my body.”
On Saturday, Velzeboer extended her world title in the 500 meters, followed by Schulting second and Selma Poutsma third. Earlier that day, Schulting had also won the world title in the 1,500 meters. It was the first time that three Dutch short track speed skaters occupied the World Cup podium.
Repayment
In the mixed relay, the short trackers won their first world title on Sunday. Xandra Velzeboer, Suzanne Schulting, Jens van ‘t Wout and Teun Boer were faster than the teams from China and Italy in the final. It was the first time that the world title was skated on this new part. It already existed during last year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, when the gold medal went to China.
The women’s team also closed the World Cup in South Korea with a world title in the relay. Suzanne Schulting, Xandra Velzeboer, Selma Poutsma and Yara van Kerkhof were just ahead of their South Korean and Canadian competitors. With this victory, the Netherlands secured its fifth gold medal.