Hoogerwerf and Schulting claim the 2021 Dutch short track champion titles

Dylan Hoogerwerf and Suzanne Schulting were crowned 2021 Dutch champions in short track last weekend in Heerenveen.

By: Jackob Savard

Photo: Schaats Foto's 

During this competition which took part on Saturday and Sunday, the best short track speed skaters in the Netherlands had to compete on 500m, 1000m and 1500m to collect points for the overall Dutch title. The overall winners of the men’s and women’s categories were awarded a spot on the Dutch team for the 2021 European Championships.

A second Dutch title in career for Hoogerwerf

Dylan Hoogerwerf won the men's championship. With a victory on 500m, a sixth place finish in the 1500m and a second place on 1000m, the 25-year-old skater captured his second Dutch title in career. His first was in 2017. 

Jens van 't Wout took second place overall by winning the 1500m and capturing bronze in the 1500m. His 22nd place on 1000m cost him the title. Friso Emons finished third and Sjinkie Knegt missed the podium finishing fourth. 

We saw some more difficult performances from veterans Itzhak de Laat (6th) and Daan Breeuwsma (9th) and from last year's Dutch champion Sven Roes (14th). Thanks to his victory at the Invitation Cup, de Laat is already part of the national team and this 6th place will not harm him. For the others, they will have to rely on discretionary choices to represent their country this season.

Perfect competition for Schulting 

Suzanne Schulting was once again dominant at the Dutch championships. She won all three distances and will again lead the the Dutch team at this year's European Championships. Her young teammates Xandra Velzeboer and Selma Poutsma completed the overall podium. Rianne de Vries (5th) and Yara van Kekhof (7th) probably expected better results and will both have to wait and see if they got selected.

The Netherlands at the European Championships

Itzhak de Laat, Dylan Hoogerwerf and Suzanne Schulting won their spots for the individual distances at the European Championships with their performances at the Invitation Cup and the Dutch Championships. The remaining skaters heading to the European Championships will be decided by discretionary selection in the upcoming weeks. Will we see a younger Dutch team at the European championships or will the Dutch federation put its trust in veterans even if they had a tougher weekend?

Full results 

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