Irene Schouten is the big favorite for the first gold for the Netherlands

The Netherlands is turning a blind eye to national favorite Irene Schouten, as she is expected to win the first medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympics for her country. The hopes are tied to Irene Schouten, who is unbeaten this year, winning every World Cup she has competed in.

“One night’s sleep before I give it my all. Let the Games begin!”, she wrote on her Instagram account.

Irene Schouten has decided not to compete in the last World Cup in Calgary to attend qualifying tournaments in the Netherlands.

“So far it’s going well on the ice. I’m mainly worried about myself. I want to run a good race. That’s where the result comes from”, said Irene Schouten earlier this week.

She will face Italian Francesca Lollobrigida, who won the event in Calgary, which Irene Schouten missed with a personal record of three minutes 54.44 seconds.

Among the favorites is Martina Sablíkova from the Czech Republic, who holds the world record with 3:52.02 from 2019 in Salt Lake City and won the gold in the 3000m at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.