Sven Kramer denounces push for plow chase

Pushing turns out to be the way to skate a quick time in the team pursuit. Norway won gold with her on Friday at the World Cup.

Sven Kramer doesn’t like pushing at all during the team pursuit. This way, he said after the race in which the Netherlands were disappointing in fourth place behind the winner Norway, it is not the strongest team that wins, but the one that can push the best. “The Norwegians were just pushing,” said the Frisian. “It irritates, but as long as it’s allowed we have to deal with it. The team with the best individual skaters won’t win, but the ones who can push the best If you perfect the push it will pay off.”

Skating shouldn’t go this way

According to Kramer, this is not the route skating should take. Although he admitted without a doubt that the Dutch team did not drive the best race in the second World Cup in Heerenveen. The time of the trio, with his Jumbo-Visma teammates Chris Huizinga and Marcel Bosker in addition to Kramer, was therefore only good for a fourth place with 3.42.25. Norway led fearlessly to the gold medal with a track record (3.39.08), while silver was for Canada (3.39.94) and bronze for Russia (3, 41.40).

The winning Norwegians benefited from a new tactic, in which they haven’t changed a single time in the team pursuit from the start and the two backs have continuously pushed the skater in front of them. This turned out to be the recipe for rapid success. According to Norwegian frontman Allan Dahl Johansson, who had the company of Sverre Lunde Pedersen and Hallgeir Engebraten, it was not invented. “The United States has done it before. This facilitates fast driving. I was in front, but I died. I had to continue to skate in front. Because change takes time. ”

Do not change an option at all

Canada also pushed, but changed, as if it was very limited. Until recently, in team pursuit, it was normal for a tired skater to drop off their head after one or more laps, after which a teammate took over the grind. According to Remmelt Eldering, the Dutch coach of the Canadian women’s team, not changing at all is not an option for her team. “We change less, but no change is good for us. Then we lose speed.

The Canadians, with Valerie Maltais, Ivanie Blondin and Isabelle Weidemann, also won the gold medal with a record of 2.54.64. The Netherlands, who appeared on the ice with Ireen Wüst, Antoinette de Jong and Irene Schouten, clocked a time of 2.55.58, also under Japan’s old record of 2.55.7. Norway was the third fastest among the women of Thialf (2.58, 22).

Go in

According to Kramer, the Netherlands will have to accept the new push tactic, but the question will be whether it was deep enough for the important World Cup distances in Heerenveen in February. He and his teammates Groninger Huizinga and Drents-Groningse-rooted Bosker also pointed out that the Netherlands have yet to skate in their strongest position. For example, the team still lacks Patrick Roest, the best skater of the moment.

More aggressive

According to Bosker, the team should have skated more aggressively. “It wasn’t a good stage, but it’s hard to say exactly what it was. Because I haven’t spoken to the others yet. But I think we’ve driven too much. We skated in a 5 kilometer race, when we should have skated more aggressively, just like in the 1500 meters. So sit deep, accelerate and then drive as fast as you can. It was too slow now. It wasn’t good enough. ”

In the first World Cup a week ago, the Netherlands won in 3.40.33. “The ice was now a little less in the last stage,” said Huizinga, “I had problems with that in the corners. We were also a bit more tired as we continued to train. The Norwegians were very good and strong. But I think it’s definitely possible to get them. We always have Patrick on hand. ”