Ireen Wüst

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

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."
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began skating in 1998 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

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	In 2022 a statue of her was unveiled in her birthplace of Goirle, Netherlands. (ad.nl, 21 May 2022) A corner at the Thialf arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands, was named in her honour in 2022. An ice rink has also been named after her in Tilburg, Netherlands. (rtlnieuws.nl, 12 Mar 2022; Facebook page, 01 Mar 2016) 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) She has been named Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. (Facebook page, 07 Oct 2017)
Other information	RETIREMENT She retired from the sport in March 2022. "It's not that I'm not good enough anymore, but I want to have children. One day I have to make a decision and say, 'Okay, let's go for the other life'." She took part in her final race on home ice at the 2022 World Cup Final in Heerenveen, Netherlands. "Even before I skated, I already received a standing ovation. Everybody was cheering for me, so that got me really emotional." (ISU, 12 Mar 2022; si.com, 15 Feb 2022) 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)
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 gold in the 1500m at the 2019 World Single Distances Championships in Inzell, Germany. (ISU, 12 Mar 2022)
Most influential person in career	Her family. (Athlete, 21 Nov 2018)
Hobbies	Skiing, sailing, eating at restaurants. (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)
Milestones	With her gold medal in the 1500m at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, she became the first athlete in any sport to win at least one gold medal at five editions of the Olympic Winter Games. Her triumph also meant she became the first athlete representing the Netherlands to win six Olympic titles at either the summer or winter editions of the Games, extending the record she set with her fifth Olympic gold medal in the 1500m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. She won two medals at the 2022 Games, taking her overall total to 13 Olympic medals, more than any other speed skating athlete. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Jul 2022) 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)