Why Are the Dutch So Dang Good at Speed Skating?

There have been so many distractions surrounding these Winter Olympics — the uproar over “Sochi problems” and Norway’s glorious curling pants, for starters — that you’ll be forgiven for overlooking speed skating, one of the games’ less-heralded sports

Here’s what you’ve missed: Complete and total Dutch domination in both men’s and women’s speed skating, a clinic so professional and thorough that you need not follow the sport at all to appreciate the Netherlands’ utter omnipotence in Sochi

At time of writing, the Dutch were tied for the Olympics lead in overall medals, with a total of 20. Nineteen of those — six golds, six silvers and seven bronzes — are from speed skating. The other one, a bronze, is from what’s known as “short track,” a variant of the same sport. (The United States’ 20 medals, by comparison, are spread across seven sports.) Read more…

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