Beune to WB bronze at 1,500m, Leerdam next to podium at 500m in Nagano

It took some getting used to for the Dutch skaters in the 500 meters in Nagano, Japan. During the first World Cup weekend of the winter, the Dutch women did not finish on the podium for the shortest sprint distance. But in the 1,500 meters, Joy Beune rode to bronze (1.55.58) and the Dutch women made a good impression.

Beune’s bronze was an unexpectedly good performance, given her situation two weeks ago, when she had only competed on the Friday of the World Cup qualifying tournament and withdrew ill a day later. “I had a fever for a long time. Stomach flu. That wasn’t fun. I’m still recovering, but I’m fit enough to race.”

With that knowledge, bronze behind winner Miho Takagi (1.55.02) and silver Han Mei (1.55.18), also on the podium at the last World Championship distances, was a boost. “This is the world’s top participating and I came third. I can certainly continue with this,” Beune said.

Behind Beune, Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong set the fourth fastest time (1.55.64). Marijke Groenewoud had a slightly more difficult time with the seventh fastest time (1.56.60), but did not ride badly.

17-year-old Angel Daleman (1.56.95) also had an excellent World Cup debut with eighth place. Melissa Wijfje (1.57.85) finished eleventh, just outside the top ten.

It was more difficult for the Dutch women in the 500 meters. Jutta Leerdam and Dione Voskamp were the best Dutch in seventh and eighth place, three tenths behind the winning time of Japan’s Yukino Yoshida (37.74). The 21-year-old Japanese has never been on a World Cup podium before, but was now faster than Andzelka Wojcik (37.92) and Min-Sun Kim (37.95) with a personal record.

Leerdam (38.04) and Voskamp (38.07) drove almost half a second slower than during the World Cup qualifying tournament at the beginning of November.

Naomi Verkerk (38.29) and Suzanne Schulting (38.51) also did not make a big impression in twelfth and thirteenth. Michelle de Jong rode 38.82. Other big names also had to wake up. Olympic champion Erin Jackson (38.17) disappointed with ninth place and Kimi Goetz (37.95) just missed the podium.

Things went “pretty well” at Leerdam. But she had to admit that her long journey from Dallas, America, where she attended a boxing event of her boyfriend, had an influence on her form. “I knew that in advance. But I’m here to make the best of it.”

Leerdam noticed that she had little tension in her legs. “It could be because I haven’t been on the ice for the past week and a half. I have to put in some ice time, get that ice feeling back,” she said. “But there were really good things in it, I can continue with that for tomorrow. I don’t think the feeling has gone away, I am very close to winning.”

She has no regrets about her trip to the United States. “No regrets at all. This is not a World Cup, but a World Cup. Important, but so are other things.”

There is another chance on Sunday, when the women will ride the second 500 meters of the weekend.

The Dutch men failed to finish on the podium. In between the women’s races, they also rode the 500 meters and the 1,500 meters, and both races were won by the lightning-fast American Jordan Stolz.

View the program for the rest of the World Cup weekend in Nagano below: