For the second time, a triumph has become a tragedy. 9 months after a bare ankle cost the Dutch speed skating women a world title, a new drama unfolded. During a World Cup race in Poland, Joy Beune – again – started without a transponder. Disqualification followed again.
First let’s go back to March.
At the World Distance Championships in Heerenveen, the Dutch pursuit team lived up to its role of favorite by winning the world title in record time.
Or so they thought…
Because the competition jury would disqualify the trio after a few minutes because the ankle of Joy Beune, one of the three skaters, was not covered with cut-resistant fabric.
Beune burst into tears and would be haunted by the story for a long time: “‘Is that you from that ankle?’, people ask me. That crying has stayed with them.”
In the new season, Beune hoped to take sporting revenge and put the ankle misery behind him. But since yesterday afternoon the trauma of the transponder has added to that.
At the World Cup in Tomaszów, Poland, the 24-year-old talent went wrong again during her competition preparation.
During the team pursuit, with teammates Irene Schouten and Marijke Groenewoud, remarkably there was no time registration among the Orange women.
It turned out that Beune had forgotten to put the transponders on her ankles beforehand. Just like during their previous competition, the jury had no choice but to disqualify the Dutch.
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“Oh dear, Joy Beune has forgotten them!”, the commentators of our northern neighbors sounded in disbelief when they saw the missing transponders in the hands of a jury member.
“It’s not possible, is it? This is a tragedy. But who checks that? It’s unbelievable that something like this goes wrong and can go wrong. Something like that has to be in your system. If it already went wrong last year, you have to check everything, right? This is a unforgivable mistake.”
Babysitter in the future
One that had to happen to Beune of all people again.
“I looked for my transponders before the race, but they were gone,” the skater told NOS afterwards.
“Someone took them. Although the rule is clear, I just started. I have nothing useful to say about it now. It’s just my fault again.”
National coach Rintje Ritsma did not hide his bewilderment and pushed for a drastic solution.
“You just have to put a babysitter next to Joy,” was his sharp conclusion. “It’s that simple. She’s good, the train is really strong. But you have to put someone next to her who really controls everything. There’s no other way.”
“These are details that cannot go wrong,” the national coach continued. “As a skater you have to be displaced if you don’t wear transponders. I can’t understand why you don’t wear those things.”
We were focused on that ankle… Except of course it requires a transponder.
Trainer Erik Bouwman
A little later, Erik Bouwman, Beune’s personal coach, took the blame.
“I take this very seriously and I could kick myself,” he told the written press.
“I think that as a supervisor I should have paid more attention. We were focused on that ankle… Only, of course, it requires a transponder. But I can’t get angry with Joy. It’s just shit, shit, shit. “
The disqualification of the Netherlands may also have major sporting consequences for the rest of the season.
Based on points, it will now be very difficult for the trio Beune, Groenewoud and Schouten to qualify for the World Distance Championships in February 2024.
They will now have to try to qualify based on their clocked time during the next World Cup weekend in a month’s time in Salt Lake City.
Hopefully, the Dutch team will then have a complete checklist.
2023-12-10 01:37:04
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