Will 2022 be the year for Irene Schouten? The chance that she will win at least one gold medal at the Olympics with her current form is huge.
Irene is currently, just after the OKT, where she placed herself at four distances, in a corona bubble. This means that despite her super performance in the placement tournament, she is not in a party mood. “She does not celebrate New Year’s Eve, she stays at home and goes to bed early,” said Simon Schouten, her brother.
“I’m not going to have coffee with her until the Olympics,” he continues. The games start in February, so for Irene it is still a while.
According to Piet Schipper, chairman of the inline skate association Radboud in Medemblik, where Irene started, she has a real chance of winning three golds and one silver. Piet says: “At the mass start it just depends on how the race goes, and in the team pursuit I think Japan will win.”
Top favorite
In the individual distances three and five kilometers, according to Piet, Schouten is the top favorite. This is mainly due to the form Irene is in. “People think she peaks too early, but I know she always gets stronger at the end of the season,” said brother Simon Schouten.
Simon used to train together with his sister, and according to Piet Schipper that is exactly where Schouten’s strength comes from. “She has always trained with the men and could always count on them.” Simon can still remember the training sessions well: “I never held back from my sister during those training sessions, she is horribly strong.”