Ireen Wüst

Other information	AGE ADVANTAGE She made her debut on the World Cup circuit in 2005, and hopes to win her sixth Olympic gold medal at the 2022 Games in Beijing. "I benefit from my experience compared to 19-year-olds. There are many years of training in my body. I have a good body, I am rarely injured and recover quickly after training. Furthermore, I think you can go a long way if you have rock-solid confidence in yourself. That drive is in me. I always go for it. In my early days, I didn't feel like someone until I won. But I got to know myself better and better. Top sport is tough. If you want to continue, you have to look in the mirror and get to work with yourself. Over the years I have come to realise that I am not my achievements, I am not better when I win. As a person I have a lot more to offer than just speed skating. Here is not only Ireen the skater, but also Ireen the person." (univemagazine.nl, 11 Dec 2020; Athlete, 21 Nov 2018) OTHER ACTIVITIES In October 2021 she was nominated as a candidate for the International Olympic Committee [IOC] Athletes' Commission during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing by the Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation [NOC*NSF]. "Being an Olympian and performing at four Olympic Games, I know like no other the needs of athletes to perform at their best. As a member of the Athletes' Commission, I will do my utmost to make a real difference, to ensure that the voice of the athletes is clearly heard, and to support the next generation of athletes to achieve their Olympic dream." (Facebook profile, 19 Oct 2021; nocnsf.nl, 16 Oct 2021) INSPIRATION She was the inspiration for a children's book called 'Marieke Martino, the granddaughter of King Stracciatella', which was published in 2010. (sportintilburg.nl, 01 Jan 2020; infonu.nl, 31 Mar 2011; ijsclubtilburg.nl, 07 Jul 2008)
Milestones	Her gold medal in the 1500m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang meant that she became the first athlete in any sport to win at least one individual gold at four editions of the Olympic Winter Games. Her gold medal in the 1500m in Pyeongchang also made her the first athlete from the Netherlands to win five Olympic titles at either the summer or winter editions of the Games. She won three medals at the 2018 Games, taking her overall total to 11 medals, more than any other speed skating athlete. (isu.org, 02 Nov 2021; OIS, 13 Feb 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 19 Jan 2018) At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin she became the youngest Dutch athlete from any sport to win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games by triumphing in the 3000m at age 19 years and 317 days. (SportsDeskOnline, 19 Jan 2018)
Other sports	She competed in road cycling at the Dutch championships in 2016, 2017, and 2018. (procyclingstats.com, 30 Jun 2020)
Injuries	An abdominal nerve injury and a problem with her left leg affected her in late 2017 and early 2018. (schaatsen.nl, 01 Oct 2018) A concussion meant she missed the first four World Cup events of the 2015/16 season. (isu.org, 07 Jan 2016) Her preparation for the 2010/11 season was disrupted by an operation to remove a benign tumour on her ovaries in September 2010. (infonu.nl, 31 Mar 2011)
Memorable sporting achievement	Winning a total of five gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games between 2006 and 2018, and claiming her first title in the small combination at the 2007 World Allround Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. (Athlete, 21 Nov 2018)

twitter.com/Ireenw
www.facebook.com/wustireen

Club / Team	Team Reggeborgh: Netherlands
Name of coach	Gerard van Velde [club], NED; Jan Coopmans [national], NED
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began skating in 1998 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Reason for choosing this sport	She followed her father into the sport after watching him compete in the 1997 Elfstedentocht [11 Cities Tour] in the Netherlands. "My father participated, and I was intrigued by speed skating. I begged my parents to buy me skates and that winter we skated on natural ice a lot. I just loved the atmosphere. I went to the rink in Eindhoven with my father every Sunday morning. I skated in his draft and tried to copy his technique."

Most influential person in career	Her family. (Athlete, 21 Nov 2018)
Hobbies	Skiing, sailing, eating at restaurants. (univemagazine.nl, 11 Dec 2020)
Ambitions	To win a gold medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (univemagazine.nl, 11 Dec 2020)
Famous relatives	Her partner Letitia de Jong has represented the Netherlands in speed skating, and won gold in the team sprint at the World Single Distances Championships in 2019 and 2020. (SportsDeskOnline, 16 Dec 2020; univemagazine.nl, 11 Dec 2020)
Nicknames	GI Ireen, Leen, Pipo, Wuust (ireenwust.nl, 25 May 2005)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Live life to the max." (Athlete, 21 Nov 2018)
Awards and honours	She was flag bearer for the Netherlands at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (OIS, 25 Feb 2018) She was voted the 2006 Dutch Sportswoman of the Year. (nu.nl, 16 Mar 2011; wereldomroep.nl, 22 Dec 2006) An ice rink has been named after her in Tilburg, Netherlands. (Facebook page, 01 Mar 2016) She has been named Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion. (Facebook page, 07 Oct 2017)