Irene Schouten

Club / Team

Albert Heijn Zaanlander: Netherlands

Memorable sporting achievement	Winning four medals [three gold and one bronze] at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (ireneschouten.nl, 01 Mar 2022)
Other sports	She has competed in marathon skating, and won five consecutive Dutch national titles between 2016 and 2020. She has represented the Netherlands in roller speed skating, winning a gold medal in the road 5000m relay at the 2012 World Championships in Rome, Italy, and has also competed as a cyclist at the Dutch national championships. In 2019 she won the first edition of the Dutch Red Bull 400 event, in which competitors race up a ski jump. The contest took place in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. (SportsDeskOnline, 09 Jan 2020; redbull.com, 18 Jun 2019; ad.nl, 14 Jun 2018; nos.nl, 15 Sep 2012)
Famous relatives	Her brother Simon Schouten has represented the Netherlands in speed skating, winning gold in team pursuit at the 2018 European Single Distances Championships in Kolomna, Russian Federation. Her niece Kelly Schouten represented the Netherlands in roller speed skating at the European championships in 2015 and 2016, and has also competed in speed skating at the Dutch national championships. (nbcolympics.com, 15 Feb 2022; schaatsen.nl, 24 Oct 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 19 Nov 2018; nu.nl, 18 Jan 2017)

Name of coach

Jillert Anema [club], NED; Arjan Samplonius [club], NED

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Enjoy and work hard." (Athlete, 17 Nov 2018)

www.facebook.com/irene.schouten.1
twitter.com/schoutenirene

Injuries

A muscle injury forced her to miss the 2020 Dutch National Allround Championships in Heerenveen. (nhnieuws.nl, 20 Nov 2020) In 2008 her thyroid gland became infected and she was unable to compete for six months. (sporttop.nl, 2009)

Reason for choosing this sport

She was previously involved in inline skating and figure skating. Her three siblings liked skating but only she and her brother Simon went on to pursue a professional career in the sport. "In primary school, there was a bus that always went to the track every Saturday. It was completely full. That is how we naturally acquired the love for skating."

Most influential person in career

Her mother. (Athlete, 17 Nov 2018)

When and where did you begin this sport?

She took up the sport in 2000.

Awards and honours	She was named the 2022 Sportswoman of the Year at the annual Sports Gala in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (nltimes.nl, 22 Dec 2022) She was named Marathon Skater of the Year for the 2018/19 season by the Royal Dutch Skating Association [KNSB]. (binding.nl, 23 Oct 2019)
Milestones	She became the first female speed skater representing the Netherlands to win a world title in the 5000m when she was victorious in the event at the 2021 World Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Nov 2021; netherlandsnewslive.com, 14 Feb 2021)
Hobbies	Watching sports. (ditjesendatjes.nl, 28 Nov 2020)
Ambitions	To win gold at the 2024 World Single Distances Championships in Calgary, AB, Canada. She also aspires to work in sports marketing after her competitive career is over. (nos.nl, 16 Oct 2023; ditjesendatjes.nl, 28 Nov 2020)
Other information	DIFFICULT YEAR POST-BEIJING She admits that her life became too busy following her three Olympic gold medals in 2022, and that she tried to do too much ahead of the 2022/23 season. At the 2023 Dutch National Single Distances Championships, she was only able to finish third in the 3000m, a distance she was victorious in at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. "I've had quite an intense year [speaking in February 2023], I've had some difficulty with that in recent months. Once I realised I was struggling, I slowed down a bit. I probably just did a little too much of everything. Mentally, [2022] was a very tough year. So much has happened, I really wanted to tackle everything. Sometimes I forget that I am a top athlete and that I therefore have to train and rest. I forgot that a bit last year. Now I have that clearly in my head. I want to skate fast, so I also have to rest well. Last year [2022] I was in Colombia and I did all kinds of cultural things. [In 2023] I mainly trained and rested. I told my husband in advance that we were not going to do anything, it would be just a training camp [in the United States of America]." (nos.nl, 16 Oct 2023, 04 Feb 2023; schaatsen.nl, 21 Aug 2023) DOCUMENTARY In 2021 a documentary about her family 'Het Leven Gaat Niet Altijd Over Tulpen' [Life Is Not Always About Tulips] was aired on Dutch television. The documentary focuses on the family's tulip business, Irene and her brother Simon's skating careers, and their mother Jolanda's recovery from a brain haemorrhage in 2016. "I think the images are beautiful, but I don't think the story that is being told is special. I wondered, 'Why is something like this TV worthy?' Until my friend and brother-in-law said, 'This is not normal, you think it is normal, because you do it every day, but what you do for your mother is very unique'." (nu.nl, 25 Oct 2021; metronieuws.nl, 08 Jun 2021; visie.eo.nl, 07 Jun 2021)

www.ireneschouten.nl/

Hero / Idol

Dutch speed skater Gretha Smit. (nbcolympics.com, 15 Feb 2022)