Femke Kok won the first 500 meters at the National Championships in Heerenveen on Friday. The world champion defeated her biggest competitor Jutta Leerdam in a head-to-head fight.
The 23-year-old Kok achieved a time of 37.33 in the final stage. This made the defending champion 36 hundredths faster than Leerdam, who was one year older.
The two title favorites were a lot faster than the rest of the field. Marrit Fledderus came closest with 37.91 and came third. Michelle de Jong, who took bronze in the previous two editions, had to settle for the seventh fastest time: 38.20.
The title battle on the 500 meters involves a classification of two stages. The second round is scheduled for later in the evening. It starts at 9:02 PM.
The tickets for the European Championship and World Championship distances are distributed based on the best times in one of the two stages. The best three skaters qualify for the World Championship distances (February 15-18 in Calgary). The numbers one and two of the 500 meters will in any case go to the European Championship distances (5-7 January in Heerenveen).
For the number three it remains to be seen whether she can participate in the European Championship distances. The KNSB has created the so-called opportunity matrix for that tournament. The number three of the 500 meters is in twelfth place, while there is room for a maximum of ten women.
2023-12-29 18:57:40
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