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To the speed skating arena in Milan, One Nation clearly outnumbers all others. The orange sea of celebration is because the Dutch are doing their thing on the oval, finding the medal stand and setting world records. We are such *** small country, but still we, everyone really. Likes the affinity we have for the sport. Leah Smith is *** journalist from Amsterdam covering the games in Italy, and she talked with us about the popularity of speed skating in her home. I asked her what’s its American equivalent. I would say basketball probably, and the superstar right now, the Michael Jordan or LeBron James on the ice is American Jordan Stowles, who’s already won 2 gold medals and set 2 Olympic records. Whenever he’s in the country, in the Netherlands, people are kind of hyped about it. In the Netherlands, Stolz is simply known by his nickname Straljager, translation fighter jet.
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The Netherlands, a nation with a strong affinity for speed skating, celebrated American skater Jordan Stolz at the Milan Cortina Olympics after he won two gold medals and set two Olympic records.Saturday, Dutch fans were unmistakable as they crowded into the speed skating arena to watch the men’s 500m race. In an orange sea of celebration, they cheered for Dutch skater Jenning de Boo and Stolz, who shared the podium together, along with Canadian Laurent Dubreuil. De Boo took silver and Dubreuil won bronze.”We are such a small country, but everyone loves the affinity we have for the sport,” said Leah Smith, a journalist from Amsterdam covering the Games in Italy. Smith compared the popularity of speed skating in the Netherlands to basketball in the United States.Stolz is the current superstar in speed skating, akin to Michael Jordan or LeBron James on the ice. Prior to Saturday’s race, Stolz had won one gold medal and set his first Olympic record in the men’s speed skating 1,000 meters.”Whenever he is in the country, in the Netherlands, people are very hyped about it,” Smith said.In the Netherlands, Stolz is affectionately known by his nickname, “Straaljager,” which translates to “fighter jet.” Two of Stolz’s biggest endorsement deals are with companies in the Netherlands.Speed skating originated in the Netherlands as early as the 13th century. The Olympic and Paralympic Museum said frozen canals became natural racecourses for skaters traveling between towns.Over time, those informal races evolved into what we watch at the Winter Games now.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
The Netherlands, a nation with a strong affinity for speed skating, celebrated American skater Jordan Stolz at the Milan Cortina Olympics after he won two gold medals and set two Olympic records.
Saturday, Dutch fans were unmistakable as they crowded into the speed skating arena to watch the men’s 500m race. In an orange sea of celebration, they cheered for Dutch skater Jenning de Boo and Stolz, who shared the podium together, along with Canadian Laurent Dubreuil. De Boo took silver and Dubreuil won bronze.
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“We are such a small country, but everyone loves the affinity we have for the sport,” said Leah Smith, a journalist from Amsterdam covering the Games in Italy. Smith compared the popularity of speed skating in the Netherlands to basketball in the United States.
Stolz is the current superstar in speed skating, akin to Michael Jordan or LeBron James on the ice. Prior to Saturday’s race, Stolz had won one gold medal and set his first Olympic record in the men’s speed skating 1,000 meters.
“Whenever he is in the country, in the Netherlands, people are very hyped about it,” Smith said.
In the Netherlands, Stolz is affectionately known by his nickname, “Straaljager,” which translates to “fighter jet.” Two of Stolz’s biggest endorsement deals are with companies in the Netherlands.
Speed skating originated in the Netherlands as early as the 13th century. The Olympic and Paralympic Museum said frozen canals became natural racecourses for skaters traveling between towns.
Over time, those informal races evolved into what we watch at the Winter Games now.
