Jens van 't Wout

Club / Team

Trias Shorttrack: Netherlands

Hobbies	Gaming. (sportstories.nl, 09 Feb 2020)
Injuries	In September 2019 he sustained a large cut on his cheek and lost two teeth after a collision with Israeli skater Vladislav Bykanov. Van t' Wout required a metal bolt to be inserted into his cheek and was left with a 10cm scar. (volkskrant.nl, 03 Jan 2021; trouw.nl, 03 Jan 2021)
Famous relatives	His older brother Melle has represented the Netherlands in short track, making his debut on the World Cup circuit in 2019. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Jan 2021; vantwoutjes.nl, 23 Apr 2020)

Reason for choosing this sport	He played ice hockey with his brother while living in Canada, until his parents decided the sport was too dangerous and encouraged them both to take up short track. "I used to play ice hockey [in Canada]. But when we got into a league that allowed body contact, both my brother and I got concussions so we decided to do things differently. We went into short track instead. And after just six months of short track, we moved back to the Netherlands."
Name of coach	Niels Kerstholt [national], NED

Other information

TO CANADA AND BACK Born in the Netherlands, he was age two when his family relocated to Bracebridge, ON, Canada. After 10 years the family moved back to Almere in the Netherlands. "I always speak English with my brother and usually with my parents too, although gradually more and more Dutch is added. I also think in English, so for the time being that is the easiest language for me." (grootheerenveen.nl, 15 Jun 2021; volkskrant.nl, 03 Jan 2021) FAMILY SPORT He gains motivation by competing alongside his older brother and Dutch short track skater Melle. They both take inspiration from Hungarian short track siblings Shaoang and Shaolin Sandor Liu, who won gold in the 5000m relay at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. "We're always together, from morning to evening, eating together, training together, playing PlayStation together, sharing hotel rooms. If Melle does something, then I do it too. He has a real drive. Even if it doesn't work out, he will keep going. Of course we are competitors on the ice. We want to beat each other, but we also want to help each other. If possible, we try to work together. If Melle wins a medal, I'll train harder to get one too. Because if he has something, I want it too. We often watch videos of our training sessions and races. Then I give him instructions and he does the same thing to me. That way we learn a lot from each other." (teamnl.org, 23 Nov 2021) ROOKIE MISTAKE He placed first in the 1500m event at the 2020 International Invitation Cup in Heerenveen, Netherlands. However, he was denied victory after forgetting to put his transponders on. "I looked at my ankles, saw that I wasn't wearing them and thought, 'You can't be serious!' The ride went really well, but it was a rookie mistake. I was quite nervous for the race and very focused on the skating, but not on the things around it. The transponders were still in my bag. This story will stick around for a while and I have earned it." (schaatsen.nl, 08 Dec 2020)

www.facebook.com/jens.vantwout.1
twitter.com/ShortTrack4life

Ambitions

To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (grootheerenveen.nl, 15 Jun 2021)