Dutch Athletics Team 22th European Athletics Cross Country Championships Hyères (Fra) | December 13, 2015 Royal Dutch Athletics Federation / Atletiekunie P.O. Box 60100 6800 JC Arnhem The Netherlands President: Theo Hoex General Secretary: Jan Willem Landré Phone: +31(0)26 483 48 00 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.atletiekunie.nl @atletiekunie @AtletiekLive facebook.com/Atletiekunie 2 Contents Additional info Dutch athletes 4 Introduction 5 A word with Maureen Koster 6 Timetable 8 Biographies 9 - Men 9 - Men U23 14 - Junior Men 16 - Women 17 - Women U23 21 - Junior Women 22 - Staff 23 History and Statistics 24 - All European Cross Country Champions 1994 – 2014 24 - Best performances by Dutch athletes 25 - Dutch medallists in European Cross Country Championships 26 - All Dutch performances in the EC Cross Country Championships 27 Additional Information & Production 33 3 Additional info Dutch Athletes Dutch Athletes can be found in several places on the web. Some of course have their own websites, but many of them you can also follow on Twitter. Men Website Twitter account Jurjen Polderman teamdistancerunners.nl (team site profiel) @jurjenpolderman Gert Jan Wassink gertjanwassink.nl @GertJanWassink Roy Hoornweg royhoornweg.nl @royatletiek Michel Butter teamdistancerunners.nl (team site profiel) @michelbutter Men (U23) Website Twitter account Bart van Nunen bartvannunen.com @BartvanNunen Richard Douma richarddouma.nl @DoumaRichard Women Website Twitter account Sifan Hassan @Sifan1Sh Maureen Koster maureenkoster.nl @maureenkoster Andrea Deelstra andreadeelstra.nl @AndreaDeelstra Women (U23) Website Twitter account Jip Vastenburg jipvastenburg.nl @JipVastenburg Other Website Twitter account Atletiekunie atletiek.nl, @Atletiekunie atletiekunie.nl Atletiekunie Live @Atletieklive Grete Koens - @GreteKoens Luc Schout lucschout.nl @LucSchout 4 Introduction Dear Reader, The Royal Dutch Athletics Federation is proud to present its delegation for the 22th European Cross Country Championships. Fourteen athletes were selected, including a strong women’s team. Dutch Athletics has a strong track record of success Returning as well are Bart van Nunen and Jip in the European Cross Country races, including nine Vastenburg, although both are moving up from the medals in the last ten editions, and three in the last Junior category to the U23 (Van Nunen together with three years. Two of those medallists are part of the Richard Douma). Talented youngsters Stan Niesten team again this year: both Sifan Hassan and (19) and Veerle Bakker (18) round out the team. Maureen Koster were part of the U23 women’s team that won bronze in 2013. At those championships in Many members of the Dutch Athletics team are Belgrade, Hassan made her triumphant debut in already eagerly looking ahead to 2016. Not only is it orange with the individual gold medal. The two are an Olympic year, but the Royal Dutch Athletics joined in the women’s team by Ruth van der Meijden Federation has the privilege and honour of hosting and Andrea Deelstra (back after running Euro Cross the European Championships. Many members of the in 2004, 2006, and 2007). Hyères delegation will compete in Amsterdam, and as you can read in their individual profiles on the next There is a wealth of experience in the 2015 team. pages, they consider Cross Country to be a very Even though Michel Butter is barely 30, and missed important step in their preparation. the past two editions, he is now up for this tenth national cap in the European Cross Country This is very fitting, because in the Netherlands, Cross championships. Khalid Choukoud is not far behind Country is regarded as an integral and very important with eight previous races. Their best placings are 8th part of preparation for runners competing in and 7th, respectively. distances anywhere from 800 meters all the way to In the men’s team, the two marathon runners are marathon. It builds endurance, and to be successful joined by Jurjen Polderman, Gert-Jan Wassink, and in races it requires multiple attributes (like speed, Roy Hoornweg. It is the first time since the 2005 tactics, versatility). championships in Tilburg that Dutch Athletics is Most of all, Cross Country is widely regarded as a lot represented by teams in both the men’s and the of fun for runners both young and older, and as a women’s category. welcome enrichment of the winter season. Dutch Athletics wishes all athletes and their delegations excellent championships, with fair competitions, and outstanding results. 5 A word with Maureen Koster For Maureen Koster, the European Cross Championships will conclude a breakthrough year. In her first race, back in February, the 23-year old from Gouda started right away with a personal best, and 2015 continued upwards from there. In Prague, Maureen won her first medal in a major international tournament (bronze in the 3000 meters at the Euro indoors). This Summer, she broke the magic 4-minute threshold in the 1500 meters, and ran strongly at the Beijing World Championships to reach the semi-finals. Maureen also expanded her range with impressive personal bests over 3000 and 5000 meters. Question: After such a successful year, has your Q: In Beijing, you doubled over 1500 and 5000 highlight already been determined? Or could that still meters. If the program allows it, would that be an happen here in Hyères? option again in Rio? Maureen: The highlight of 2015 was without a doubt Maureen: No, in Rio my focus will be entirely on the my bronze medal at the European indoor 1500 meters. The choice to double up at the Worlds championships. The race in Monaco where I broke was only because I did not make the final in the 1500 4:00 was of course a beautiful moment, but I will meters. never forget my first international medal. The way I ran the race gave me very much self-confidence, and contributed greatly to the continuation of the season. Q: In Beijing, you had to abandon the 5000 meters race. Since then, you have already run strong races in Groningen (4 EM on the road) and Tilburg (Cross Q: The life of an athlete can be full of ups and downs, Country). Are you fully recovered and confident but one remarkable thing about your career is ten something like in Beijing will not happen again? consecutive years of pb improvements in the 1500 meters – from 4:57.51 in 2006 to 3:59.79 in 2015. Is Maureen: There has not been even a moment I was there a secret to your consistency and durability? worried about the consequences of what happened then. I was a bit feverish in the subsequent days, but Maureen: I have trained with my uncle Bert Koster my body felt fine otherwise. The 4 Mile was a test to since I was very young. He knows me inside out, and see whether my body had entirely recuperated. It always knows what I need to get in shape. Mutual went well, and was a confirmation I am totally fit trust is the basis of our good cooperation. I must add physically. that the choice, two years ago, to attend training camps without my coach has contributed. I became more independent, I saw what other athletes did, and Q: Focusing on Cross Country: last year you finished what is needed to reach the top: work extremely 5th in the U23 race in Samokov, including a fall hard. I decided I needed to be harder on myself, and during the last lap. Do you have a placing in mind for started contributing to training schedules instead of your first appereance in the main women’s category? just following them. Maureen: It is difficult to say what is realistic in terms of placing. I do expect a top-5 position, and if you are Q: Another success this year was early qualification that close to the podium, anything is possible. That is for both the European Championships and the what makes the European Cross Championships so Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. How much of a exciting. You never know how good your competitors priority is the home tournament in Amsterdam? are. I feel good myself, and therefore have high expectations. What place that will lead to, we will see Maureen: Even though it will be a difficult season - on Sunday, December 13. because you want to peak at both the Europeans and the Olympics - I think it is great that the EC is in Amsterdam. I think it will be an enormous boost for athletes in Holland. I expect that the Dutch spectators will give the Dutch athletes that extra push to surprise themselves, and others, with a European Championships full of Dutch successes. 6 Q: Last year the race was on a snowy, elevated Q: With Sifan Hassan and marathon runners Andrea course. This year the sea-level course is said to be Deelstra and Ruth van der Meijden, the team looks flatter, perhaps faster. Do you have a course strong. What are your expectations, or hopes, for the preference in Cross Country? team? Maureen: I think a flat, fast course suits me best. Maureen: As I said, placing is difficult to predict, and The pace will be fast, and that always works well for that goes for the team standings as well. There are a me. Still, you should never underestimate a course. It few teams I expect much of, like England and may have many turns, which can make it difficult as France. I would not know who will go home with the well. bronze. Perhaps Holland, but that’s going to be very challenging! Q: For the first time since 2008, Dutch Athletics is sending a women’s team to the European Cross Q: On a personal note: you moved in recent months Country Championships.