Rianne de Vries

Reason for choosing this sport	She tried skating at school because she thought it was exciting. "I originally went to long track speed skating and did short track following a few workouts to improve my elbow technique. A few years later I switched to short track completely. We did short track with school and Daan [Breeuwsma] had arranged better facilities for me. From that moment on, I've been getting more and more involved."
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began speed skating as a child. She took up short track in 2009.

Most influential person in career

Her partner Daan Breeuwsma. (schaatsen.nl, 21 Dec 2016)

www.facebook.com/rianne.devries.37
twitter.com/rianneedv

Famous relatives	Her partner Daan Breeuwsma has represented the Netherlands in short track, and competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 2014 and 2018. (schaatsen.nl, 28 Oct 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 11 Jan 2021)
Injuries	In July 2017 she broke her right ankle during a training session on the ice. (lc.nl, 09 Sep 2017; schaatsen.nl, 17 Jul 2017)
Other information	RETIREMENT She announced her retirement from the sport in February 2023. "I say goodbye to skating as a top athlete with a smile! It was a beautiful and special time. I enjoyed the excitement, the fun, the successes and the people who supported me in difficult times. I have always given 100%, but I have become curious about what there is after top sport. And I'm really looking forward to putting my energy into something new." (Instagram profile, 22 Feb 2023) GRIEF FOR ROOMMATE In July 2020 her national teammate Lara van Ruijven died from the effects of an autoimmune reaction while at a training camp in France. De Vries and van Ruijven had roomed together at tournaments since joining the Dutch national team at about the same time in 2012. "In the beginning I thought a lot about it in the evening. How is this possible? Could we have done anything else? But the doctors did everything perfectly. We couldn't have done anything else, but it's just hard to accept. She was so young. And so fanatical and so fit. So busy with her health. You don't understand that this is possible. I also still wonder if it really happened. Then you wake up and you think, is this a dream? This is not right. But it is all true." (sportnieuws.nl, 08 Feb 2022; ad.nl, 27 Jul 2020) FARM In 2017 she and partner Daan Breeuwsma bought a farm in Akkrum, Netherlands. The property was run down and needed significant renovation. "It's really a project. I always call it a 10-year project, but it's going to be a 15-year or 20-year project. Everything is old and nothing is isolated. It was all small cubicles and we are busy. We are already so happy with our bathroom and bedroom. We've already done all the roof on one side. We want to tackle the other side in the spring [speaking in 2022]. It's almost subsided, so we have to hurry." (sportnieuws.nl, 08 Feb 2022)
Other sports	She has competed in speed skating and placed 27th in the mass start at the 2016 Dutch Single Distances Championships in Heerenveen. (SportsDeskOnline, 04 Nov 2021; schaatsen.nl, 28 Oct 2021)