| Netherlands at the 2014 Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
| IOC code | NED |
| NOC | Dutch Olympic Committee* Dutch Sports Federation |
| Website | www |
| inSochi | |
| Competitors | 41 in 4 sports |
| Flag bearer (opening) | Jorien ter Mors[2] |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Bob de Jong[1] |
| Medals Ranked 5th |
|
| Winter Olympics appearances (overview) | |
TheNetherlands competed at the2014 Winter Olympics inSochi,Russia from 7 to 23 February 2014. The Dutch team was the largest Dutch delegation at a Winter Olympics, with 41 competitors that participated inbobsleigh,short track speed skating,snowboarding, andspeed skating.
With a total of 24 medals, it turned out to be the most successfulWinter Games ever for the Dutch team. The Dutch team won 23 medals in speed skating and one medal in short track speed skating. Olympic speed skating records were set on themen's 5,000 metres bySven Kramer, themen's 10,000 metres byJorrit Bergsma, themen's team pursuit byJan Blokhuijsen, Sven Kramer andKoen Verweij, thewomen's 1,500 metres byJorien ter Mors and thewomen's team pursuit byMarrit Leenstra, Jorien ter Mors andIreen Wüst. By sweeping the podium in speed skating at themen's 500 m, 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres, and the women's 1,500 m, the Netherlands became the first country in Winter Olympics history to achieve four podium sweeps at one edition of the Games.
KingWillem-Alexander, QueenMáxima, Prime MinisterMark Rutte, and Minister of Health, Welfare, and SportEdith Schippers attended the Olympics. TheHolland Heineken House was the meeting place for supporters and athletes during the Olympics.
The Dutch team won 24 medals of which 23 were in (long track)speed skating and one inshort track speed skating.
The speed skaters swept the podiums in themen's 500 metres,men's 5,000 metres,men's 10,000 metres, and thewomen's 1,500 metres.[3] The Netherlands is the first country to achieve four podium sweeps at one Winter Olympics edition (beating the previous record of two which was achieved byNorway in1924,1928 and1932,Soviet Union in1964,East Germany in1972 and1984 andGermany in1998).
In the women's 1,500 metres speed skating, Dutch athletes placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th; the first such result in Olympic speed skating history by athletes from a single nation.

The Dutch team consisted of 41 competitors that participated inbobsleigh (6),short track speed skating (10),snowboarding (6), andspeed skating (20). It was the largest Dutch delegation ever at the Winter Olympics.[4] It was also the first time that the Netherlands had an athlete competing in two different sports:Jorien ter Mors competed in both short track speed skating and speed skating. Jorien ter Mors was the Dutchflag bearer at theopening ceremony[2][5] andBob de Jong was theflag bearer at theclosing ceremony.[1]Maurits Hendriks was thechef de mission for the Dutch team.[6]

The Dutch bobsledders (6 athletes) competed with one team in each bobsleigh event:two-man,four-man, andtwo-woman. Their best result was a fourth place of the two-woman team.[7]
| Athlete | Event | Run 1 | Run 2 | Run 3 | Run 4 | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Edwin van Calker* Bror van der Zijde | Two-man | 57.54 | =21 | 57.46 | 21 | 57.38 | =18 | 56.95 | 15 | 3:49.33 | 19 |
| Edwin van Calker* Sybren Jansma Arno Klaassen Bror van der Zijde | Four-man | 55.55 | 13 | 55.57 | 15 | 55.82 | 12 | 55.75 | 12 | 3:42.69 | 11 |
| Esmé Kamphuis* Judith Vis | Two-woman | 57.94 | 5 | 58.10 | 6 | 58.20 | 6 | 58.03 | 2 | 3:52.27 | 4 |
Key: * denotes pilot of each sled, = denotes multiple teams share the same rank. Source:[7]
The Dutch short track speed skaters (10 athletes) competed in all eight short track events.[8]
The Netherlands qualified the maximum of five skaters of each gender for the Olympics duringWorld Cup 3 & 4 in November 2013.[9] Four men qualified for the 500 metres, but only three were allowed to start. The selection committee of the Dutch Speed Skating Federation (KNSB) decided thatDaan Breeuwsma would not compete in the 500 metres.[10]
Sjinkie Knegt won the bronze medal in themen's 1000 metres, which is the first ever Olympic medal in short track speed skating for the Netherlands.[11]

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Niels Kerstholt | 500 m | 42.441 | 3 | Did not advance | 24 | ||||
| 1000 m | 1:25.695 | 3 | Did not advance | 19 | |||||
| 1500 m | 2:13.848 | 1Q | — | 2:17.134 | 6 | DNA | 16 | ||
| Freek van der Wart | 500 m | 41.190 | 2Q | 1:01.371 | 3 | Did not advance | 10 | ||
| 1000 m | PEN | Did not advance | — | ||||||
| Sjinkie Knegt | 500 m | 41.235 | 1Q | 41.683 | 1Q | 41.290 | 3FB | 42.608 | 8 |
| 1000 m | 1:26.091 | 2Q | 1:25.695 | 2Q | 1:27.258 | 3AA | 1:25.611 | ||
| 1500 m | 2:14.249 | 3Q | — | 2:14.677 | 3FB | 2:39.581 | 12 | ||
| Daan Breeuwsma Niels Kerstholt Sjinkie Knegt Freek van der Wart | 5000 m relay | — | 6:45.385 | 1FA | 6:49.149 | 4 | |||
Key:AA = Advanced to medal round due to being impeded by another skater; DNA = Did not advance;FA = Qualify to medal round;FB = Qualify to consolation round; PEN = Penalty;Q = Qualified to next round. Source:[8]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Jorien ter Mors | 500 m | 44.262 | 1Q | 43.572 | 2Q | 44.242 | 4FB | 44.331 | 6 |
| 1000 m | 1:46.661 | 3A | 1:29.119 | 2Q | 1:30.481 | 3FB | 1:36.835 | 5 | |
| 1500 m | 2:21.626 | 1Q | — | 2:19.382 | 2FA | 2:19.656 | 4 | ||
| Yara van Kerkhof | 500 m | 44.044 | 2Q | 43.888 | 3 | Did not advance | 11 | ||
| 1000 m | 1:29.980 | 3 | Did not advance | 18 | |||||
| 1500 m | 2:26.809 | 3Q | — | 2:20.291 | 5 | DNA | 15 | ||
| Lara van Ruijven | 500 m | 44.023 | 3 | Did not advance | 17 | ||||
| Jorien ter Mors Sanne van Kerkhof Yara van Kerkhof Lara van Ruijven | 3000 m relay | — | PEN | DNA | — | ||||
Key:A = Advanced to next round due to being impeded by another skater; DNA = Did not advance;FA = Qualify to medal round;FB = Qualify to consolation round; PEN = Penalty;Q = Qualified to next round. Source:[8]
The Dutch snowboarders (6 athletes) competed in five of ten snowboarding events:men's halfpipe (2),women's slopestyle (1),women's parallel giant slalom (2),women's parallel slalom (2), andwomen's snowboard cross (1). None of the competitors advanced to the finals of their disciplines.[12]
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Semi-final | Final | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run 1 | Run 2 | Best | Rank | Run 1 | Run 2 | Best | Rank | Run 1 | Run 2 | Best | Rank | ||
| Dimi de Jong | Men's halfpipe | 25.25 | 64.25 | 64.25 | 12 | Did not advance | 24 | ||||||
| Dolf van der Wal | 25.50 | 62.50 | 62.50 | 14 | Did not advance | 26 | |||||||
| Cheryl Maas | Women's slopestyle | 18.00 | 31.25 | 31.25 | 9QS | 30.75 | 14.75 | 30.75 | 12 | Did not advance | 20 | ||
Key:QS = Qualify to semifinal. Source:[12]
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Round of 16 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Rank | ||
| Michelle Dekker | Women's giant slalom | 1:53.74 | 22 | Did not advance | 22 | |||
| Women's slalom | 1:05.66 | 19 | Did not advance | 19 | ||||
| Nicolien Sauerbreij | Women's giant slalom | 1:47.22 | 4Q | L +0.05 | Did not advance | 10 | ||
| Women's slalom | 1:05.69 | 20 | Did not advance | 20 | ||||
Key:L = Lost,Q = Qualify to next round. Source:[12]
| Athlete | Event | Seeding | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run 1 | Run 2 | Best | Rank | Position | Position | Position | Rank | ||
| Bell Berghuis | Women's snowboard cross | 1:28.19 | 1:28.70 | 1:28.19 | 22 | 5 | Did not advance | 20 | |
Source:[12]
The Netherlands qualified the maximum of ten speed skaters of each gender.[13] Individual riders were selected from the results of the Dutch Olympic Qualification Tournament, held between 27 and 30 December 2013 inThialf,Heerenveen.[14][15]
The Dutch speed skaters competed in all twelve long track events. The Netherlands dominated in speed skating, winning eight out of the 12 gold medals and a total of 23 out of 36 medals (of which any team, of course, could win a maximum of 32), with medals in all events.[16] There were four Dutchpodium sweeps at themen's 5000 m,men's 500 m,women's 1500 m andmen's 10000 m. The women's 1,500 metres resulted in the Dutch women placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th; the first such result by a single nation sinceEast Germany dominated themen's singles luge competition at the1972 Winter Olympics.[citation needed]
Margot Boer, by winning the bronze medal in the women's 500 metres, won the first ever Dutch Olympic medal in that event,[17][18] whileMichel Mulder was the first Dutch man to win gold at the500 metres.[19]


| Athlete | Event | Race 1 | Race 2 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Jorrit Bergsma | 5000 m | — | 6:16.66 | ||||
| 10000 m | — | OR 12:44.45 | |||||
| Jan Blokhuijsen | 1500 m | — | 1:46.50 | 13 | |||
| 5000 m | — | 6:15.71 | |||||
| Stefan Groothuis | 500 m | 35.42 | 24 | 56.81 | 39 | 92.24 | 38 |
| 1000 m | — | 1:08.39 | |||||
| 1500 m | — | 1:46.08 | 12 | ||||
| Bob de Jong | 10000 m | — | 13:07.19 | ||||
| Sven Kramer | 5000 m | — | OR 6:10.76 | ||||
| 10000 m | — | 12:49.02 | |||||
| Michel Mulder | 500 m | 34.63 | 2 | 34.67 | 2 | 69.312 | |
| 1000 m | — | 1:08.74 | |||||
| Ronald Mulder | 500 m | 34.969 | 6 | 34.49 | 1 | 69.46 | |
| Jan Smeekens | 500 m | 34.59 | 1 | 34.72 | 3 | 69.324 | |
| Mark Tuitert | 1000 m | — | 1:09.29 | 10 | |||
| 1500 m | — | 1:45.42 | 5 | ||||
| Koen Verweij | 1000 m | — | 1:09.09 | 6 | |||
| 1500 m | — | 1:45.009 | |||||
Key:OR = Olympic record. Source:[16]


| Athlete | Event | Race 1 | Race 2 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Lotte van Beek | 500 m | 38.67 | 15 | 38.73 | 17 | 77.40 | 16 |
| 1000 m | — | 1:15.10 | 5 | ||||
| 1500 m | — | 1:54.54 | |||||
| Margot Boer | 500 m | 37.77 | 5 | 37.71 | 3 | 75.48 | |
| 1000 m | — | 1:14.90 | |||||
| Antoinette de Jong | 3000 m | — | 4:06.77 | 7 | |||
| Carien Kleibeuker | 5000 m | — | 6:55.66 | ||||
| Marrit Leenstra | 500 m | 39.03 | 21 | 38.7 | 16 | 77.74 | 19 |
| 1000 m | — | 1:15.15 | 6 | ||||
| 1500 m | — | 1:56.40 | 4 | ||||
| Jorien ter Mors | 1500 m | — | OR 1:53.51 | ||||
| Yvonne Nauta | 5000 m | — | 7:01.76 | 6 | |||
| Laurine van Riessen | 500 m | 38.645 | 14 | 38.35 | 9 | 76.99 | 11 |
| Annouk van der Weijden | 3000 m | — | 4:05.75 | 5 | |||
| Ireen Wüst | 1000 m | — | 1:14.69 | ||||
| 1500 m | — | 1:54.09 | |||||
| 3000 m | — | 4:00.34 | |||||
| 5000 m | — | 6:54.28 | |||||
Key:OR = Olympic record. Source:[16]
| Athlete | Event | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Rank | ||
| Sven Kramer Koen Verweij Jan Blokhuijsen | Men's team pursuit | W 3:44.48 | W 3:40.79 | W 3:37.71OR | |
| Ireen Wüst Lotte van Beek Marrit Leenstra Jorien ter Mors | Women's team pursuit | W 2:58.61OR | W 2:58.43OR | W 2:58.05OR | |
Key:OR = Olympic record,W = Won. Source:[16]

Dutch Prime MinisterMark Rutte andKing Willem-Alexander attended the Olympics, despite the recent troubled Dutch relationship with Russia. The pair was accompanied by the King's wifeQueen Máxima and Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and SportEdith Schippers, with the King's status as an Honorary member of the IOC adding to the significance of his visit.[20] The visit was controversial due to theRussian anti-gay laws.[21] On the second day of the Games, King Willem-Alexander awarded the medals to the three Dutch medalists of the men's 5000 metres speed skating during the victory ceremony at medal plaza.[22]
During the Games, the Netherlands had a national house; the 12th edition of theHolland Heineken House. Organized byNOC*NSF andHeineken,[23] the Dutch national house was a meeting place for Dutch supporters, athletes and other followers. The Dutch national house was located 5 km south of the Olympic Park at theAzimut Hotel Resort.King Willem-Alexander andQueen Máxima, as well as Russian presidentVladimir Putin visited the Dutch national house during the Games.[24]