Trying on outfits, collecting the orange suitcases and the official transfer to NOC*NSF: a formality, but certainly a special moment for Zoë Deltrap and Friso Emons. It wasn’t until Monday morning that they heard that they had been selected for the Winter Olympics. That after a nerve-wracking National Championship and a long night.
“It is one rollercoaster ,” says Emons, “very intense. I hardly slept the last two nights. I knew the selection was coming and I didn’t feel sure. Even though I had shown my best side, doomsday scenarios flashed through my head at night.”
Fortunately, Emons didn’t have to endure the uncertainty alone. His girlfriend Niki Wories, multiple Dutch figure skating champion, supported him. “I’ve had a lot of help from her in recent days. As an athlete, she knows what’s involved.”
Where Niki Friso encouraged him, Jens van ‘t Wout was there for his girlfriend Zoë Deltrap. “These were such stressful days,” says Deltrap. “I did what I could during the National Championships, but I still started to doubt whether it was good enough. Last night I couldn’t sleep and I said to Jens: you have to stay awake with me so that we can chat. Jens replied: ‘If you close your eyes, you will fall asleep’. I was so tired that he was right. I slept for a while.”
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