Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

A19
SPORTS Friday 23 February 2018
With Schulting's gold, Dutch are good at short track, too

By RAF CASERT the second. After a series
AP Sports Writer of savvy moves, she was in
GANGNEUNG, South Korea the lead late in the 1,000
(AP) — Science, method, and then the two favored
investment, sheer determi- South Koreans took each
nation — the Dutch set up other out in one of the typi-
a short-track program from cal crashes that made a
scratch a dozen years ago name for the sport.
in the hope of branching When she crossed the line,
out its gold medal income she shouted in disbelief
from long-track speedskat- and held out arms, try-
ing. ing to grasp what she just
Frustratingly, their program achieved.
had no Olympic title to She will happily go through
show for it — until now. life as a “Bouncing Ball”
And instead of science, it with an Olympic gold med-
was a woman known as al round her neck.
"Bouncing Ball" that threw So why is she called Bounc-
all that methodology out ing Ball?
the window. “I’ve always got a lot of en-
After an ugly start to the ergy. I’m always like, ‘Wah-
Pyeongchang Games, hhhh!’ That’s why,” Schult-
Suzanne Schulting surpris- Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands leads the field during their women's 1000 meters short track ing said. “Sometimes it’s a
ingly skated into the semi- speedskating A final in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, little bit too much.”
finals, then into Thursday's South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. It was just right on
final. And then, the giddy Associated Press Thursday.q
20-year-old Dutchwoman
surprisingly reached the pand beyond long track
top of the podium on the now has the Dutch in fifth
last day of the short-track place overall in the medal
program. standings with seven gold
"It's gold," Schulting said. and 17 overall.
"That's crazy." No wonder the Gangneung
Besides her, Dutch tech- Ice Area was a happy mess
nical director Arie Koops of orange colors. And what
couldn't maintain his un- a turnaround for Schulting.
flappable cool and pretty Just a few days ago, she
much went out of his head, was a heap misery after
too. Finally, the program he her first Olympics had yield-
set up delivered, however ed nothing but mishap and
unlikely the bearer of gold early elimination.
was. Things changed on Tues-
"A 12-year investment now day. The Dutch relay team
pays off," he told The Asso- had failed in the semifinals,
ciated Press. but in their B final, they set
At the end of the short- a world record. And then
track competition, the in an unprecedented turn
Netherlands was second of events in the relay final,
to only South Korea in the two teams were disquali-
medal standings. fied and suddenly Schult-
In the Olympic history of the ing and her teammates
sport, the Dutch only had had bronze.
one bronze coming into It was enough for an exple-
South Korea, and now in tive-filled celebration that
two weeks it has gold, two made her both infamous
silvers and a bronze. Only and famous in a flash.
the host nation did better After Thursday, only fame
with three gold, one silver awaits her.
and two bronze. She skated a brazen, blaz-
And Koops' ambition to ex- ing race that got better by

linda.reijnders@cspnv.com

/arubatoday/