The Netherlands go three-for-three for relays
The Dutch relay teams were untouchable on home ice, capping a flawless weekend with wins in the mixed relay, men’s relay, and women’s relay.
The mixed relay was the cherry on top of the stroopwafel for the adoring crowd, as the star-studded Dutch team literally pushed each other forward to claim victory. Italy held off the United States for second.
The men’s relay saw local hero Jens van ’t Wout round out a near-perfect weekend, making a brave move on Steven Dubois on the final corner with the Canadian sliding out. Belgium and Italy followed closely behind, taking the remaining spots on the podium.
Canada, hampered by the absence of finisher William Dandjinou – who received a second yellow card in the 1000m – were fourth after that costly late fall.
But that was not the only final where Van ’t Wout stole the show. The 1000m featured a high-stakes international showdown with two Dutchmen, two Canadians, and a Latvian all eyeing the top of the podium.
The race was fast and aggressive, and chaos erupted on the penultimate lap when reigning world champion Dandjinou attempted a daring overtake. Canada’s Felix Roussel went down first, triggering a chain reaction that wiped out Dandjinou, Latvia’s Roberts Kruzbergs, and the Netherlands’ Daan Kos. That left van ’t Wout to glide home on an unexpected solo victory lap.
“My plan worked,” van ’t Wout said. “I knew I had to go out fast, be in front early, and disrupt William and Felix. I went all-in on the pace in the beginning, made them panic, and it worked.”
Kruzbergs recovered to take second with Kos crossing the line third in another strong race for the home team.
Van ’t Wout celebrated in style, taking a victorious bite out of his gold medal before saluting a sea of Dutch supporters.
