Rianne DE VRIES

OLYMPIC DISAPPOINTMENT
Selected as a reserve for the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and has is yet to start an Olympic race. As a result, at PyeongChang 2018, she missed out on winning a relay bronze medal with her teammates. At the time, she said, "I am angry and disappointed. I understand that he (national team coach Jeroen Otter) puts up the fastest skaters, but I think I'm good enough. He apparently doesn't. The five of us have trained together for four years. I really feel like we're a team. But then when you see them on stage, I didn't get a reward. I still have the motivation to continue, but I don't know if I want to experience another Olympics. On the other hand, it can't go wrong three times." (ad.nl, 20 Feb 2018)

ROOMMATE GRIEF
In July 2020, her teammate and long-term competition roommate Lara van Ruijven died from complications of an autoimmune disorder, which nearly led her to quit the sport all together. "I was about to say goodbye because I suddenly saw how life could be. I wanted to do so many other things besides short track - maybe my life wouldn't last that long either. At that point, I didn't like skating at all anymore. Sport is something you experience together. I did that very much with Lara when we ended up getting into the national team at about the same time. We were always in a room together, doing things off the ice. The goals we had were the same. That suddenly fell away. Then the question arose, 'Do I still want it? Is it all still so much fun?' Fortunately, I came to the conclusion fairly quickly that stopping was not what I wanted at all. Then I knew I had to turn the switch, I knew that I really enjoyed the skating life. And I do, still, after all these years." (schaatsen.nl, 29 Sep 2021)

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Seven-time World Cup gold medallist in 3000m relay. Eight-time World Cup silver medallist. Two-time World Cup bronze medallist.