Patrick Roest won the 5,000 meters on Sunday at the Olympic qualifying tournament (OKT) in Thialf in a time of 6.08.64. He is thus the only skater who is already certain of an Olympic starting permit. Triple and reigning Olympic champion Sven Kramer finished third in Thialf (6:12,29) and has yet to see whether he will qualify for the Olympic Games for the fifth time. Jorrit Bergsma was second in 6.11.14 and therefore still has a good chance of a starting place.
Only the winner of the 5,000 meters on the OKT qualifies directly for the Games. The numbers 2 and 3 still have to wait and see if they can place themselves based on the selection order. The 35-year-old Kramer only participated in the 5,000 meters at the qualifying tournament, his best distance.
Also read: For skaters, their identity is at stake in the Olympic qualifying tournament
Leerdam wins 1,000 meters
Previously, Jutta Leerdam was already certain of an Olympic starting license after winning the 1,000 meters. Jorien ter Mors, the Olympic champion of the 2018 Games in the 1,000 meters, finished fifth and therefore missed the Olympic ticket. Antoinette de Jong and Ireen Wüst finished second and third respectively in Heerenveen. Whether they are allowed to participate at this distance at the Games remains to be seen.
Nine Dutch men and nine Dutch women are allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in Beijing. In principle, the Netherlands may skate with three skaters per distance, except for the longest distances: there are two in the 5,000 for the women and the 10,000 for the men. For the OKT, it has therefore been calculated at which distances the Netherlands has the best chance of winning a medal and a selection order has been established. The selection committee can also allocate three appointment places for the men and for the women.
On Monday, the 500 meters for the men and the 3,000 meters for the women will be ridden at the OKT. The qualifying tournament lasts until Thursday.
#Rust #Olympic #Games #meters #Kramer #Bergsma #chance