"It was the best experience of my life so far" – the only amateur in Dutch speed skating

Livestream, Feb. 5 "It's the best experience of my life so far." Sanna Inthof told Xinhua. She is competing in the Beijing Winter Olympics and is the only amateur on the Dutch speed skating team.

In the Netherlands, known as the "Kingdom of Speed Skating", speed skating is a highly professional ice sport, and being selected for the National Winter Olympic Team is the dream of many professional speed skaters, while Interhoff, as an amateur athlete, stood out in the Winter Olympic Qualifiers held in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, in late December 2021, and won a ticket to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

On 26 January, Interhof departed with the Dutch delegation to Beijing. After arriving in Beijing, she and her teammates took a bus through the city center to the Winter Olympic Village, where she was amazed by the cityscape, Olympic flags and life-size mascots along the way. "Beijing is a very beautiful and clean city." She said.

In the Winter Olympic Village, the Dutch team shares an apartment with athletes from Norway and Denmark. She says she wakes up in the morning and goes for a walk, "I love basking in the sun." I can go out at any time, I can walk around freely, but I can't go out of the Winter Olympic Village. The rich diet provided by the Winter Olympic Village also made her like it, "Chinese food is delicious."

Speaking about the impression of training at the National Speed Skating Hall in Beijing for the first time, she said: "I have never seen such a big and beautiful skating rink, and I was surprised and excited when I first went in. I was like: I'm really here, I've made it!"

On 10 February, Interhoff will compete in the women's 5,000m at the National Speed Skating Hall. She is currently ranked third in the world in this event, behind teammate Irini Showten and Canadian skater Isabelle Wiedemann. Schauten was the favourite for the Dutch team to hit the top podium.

Speaking about the upcoming fierce competition, Interhoff expressed hope for a medal. She said: "As long as I stay calm and do my best, I don't blame myself. I'm really looking forward to getting a medal. It was the best experience of my life so far. ”

(Xinhua News Agency)