Last year due to an injury to Achilles, the front bet was assessed, the Dutch athlete chose the perfect time to reach a career at the end of the fierce. The Welcoming House of the Netherlands, however, brought an unexpected shock on the road
Coming from 1991, I knew I had to be patient during the next year and I would not try to rush things, but I also need to qualify Barcelona. There were very good tribes in Europe, but they were more technical.
I knew I had to get the qualification standard, so I had to plan, going to the race in France, where I knew it would be fast. Everything was about my training because I was always prone to a small injury, but if I could work out for a few months, it would be good.
Having the Netherlands closer to Olympics was great, but it didn’t matter to my mother. He had not been on the plane formerly formerly and for a moment, he told me that he had bought tickets, but only 800 m final. It was months ago, but I said. “Buy tickets for warming too.” He was like. “No, it’s very expensive.”
It was partly because I did not come from the traditional athletics family. He really had no idea how he worked. I didn’t even have many friends coming to Barcelona. My athletics life and my social life were quite separate, even if they (my friends and family) all support me very much.
That year, I won 10 of my 11 races, so I planned the Olympics. Everything was about I would be finalized because sometimes good athletes will go out because of the wrong tactics. I thought. “When I’m in the finals, it is possible for anything.” I really didn’t count the medal but I certainly given that I had one’s chance.
Sometimes the 800s run slowly and (if it happened) then wouldn’t want me. My feeling was to follow the race as long as possible, and then hit. I always had a mental force to have a very deep, because the 600 m border and the end is not fun to 800 m, so you have to go as soon as possible to go as fast as possible.
I knew that until I was 120 m away, I was sure that they did not win, but to be in arguing. I knew when I started my blow and coming to the middle of the final slope, I crossed the Kovaches inside and thought. “There’s one”. And when we left the slope, I felt strong. I felt I could speed up.
But I had to choose. I go out or stay inside. Ella leaned to go outside, so I waited a little while. It was a decisive moment because I also felt that I could go outside if I had to get the same result. I was quite sure. Sometimes you feel you are faster than others. Do you feel that you can still speed up?
After graduating, I didn’t feel so surprising about victory. It was more surprise about time. I felt a lot of relief and exhaustion. I was entirely focused on the race and hardly remember anything about it. You can just see that complete concentration in my face
at the end.
When I return to the Netherlands, there was a lot of celebration, but it also spends money on me. I was in the unemployment fund and did it very well and clean. I discussed it with the government, and they were like. “Yes, we support you.” At that time, in the Netherlands, I received support, and I also had an agreement that I was going to make money, and then I would talk to that help. And that was all well.
But they had already sent me a letter, while I was still in Barcelona to take it, and it was really annoying for me to make more money myself.
When you are an Olympic champion, it’s not like that suddenly your bank account is loaded. I thought that time was so wrong so that my troubled was a letter from the government, while I was still in the games. It was a very strange way to do it.
But I wasn’t very sad than that. Was a little Dutch form. On the one hand, you can have a good job, but on the other hand, it should not change. You have to stay the same. Just because you have a gold medal, be extremely important. We are always on both sides. But in the morning I came home, I still couldn’t walk on the street to my house, because it was packed by celebrating people. I could never complain about it.
