Snowboarders from the “land without mountains” have their sights set on the world’s top

“I thought the medal was within reach, so I did everything to get it,” said the 21-year-old snowboarder. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so much adrenaline in my body. It was really weird. It just didn’t go the way I wanted it to. It’s a shame, but I’m so happy with how it went today.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Melissa Peperkamp finished in the women’s big air final, with riders descending a steep ramp and then earning points by jumping doing “tricks”, also finishing sixth. Van der Velden: “Norway, Canada, USA and Japan have been really big snowboard countries for years. I think it’s cool that we are participating as a small country without mountains.

He still hopes to close the gap in the years to come. “I see myself as a humble person and I focus on the things I have to do. It’s confirmation that I have it in me. I have to dot the i’s and cross out the t’s, so I ‘belong to the top of the world.

During his last race, Van der Velden wanted to go all or nothing. It was necessary to finish on the podium. “I’ve been three times now and actually wanted to go four times. I slipped a bit at the top which caused me to lose focus a bit. As a result, I couldn’t go back four times. If I had passed, I would have been raised in the 90 points. I think 95 or 96 points. I had never done this tour before, it was completely new.