Olympic champion Suzanne Schulting reveals she’s ‘addicted’ to winning

Since winning the Netherlands’ first-ever Olympic gold medal in short-track speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, Suzanne Schulting has become a dominant force in the sport – winning all five events at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dordrecht in March.

Here, she looks ahead to Beijing 2022 and reflects on her Olympic experiences, including her time at the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Innsbruck 2012.

Olympics.com: Congratulations on your incredible 2020/21 season, which saw you win four European titles and five gold medals at the World Championships. How do you reflect on your success?

Suzanne Schulting: “It’s quite incredible what I did. I think it was an amazing season and I was super happy with it, of course, and still super excited about it. Now, I have to put my focus on this season, and everything starts at zero again.”

What were the main highlights of last season for you?

“Of course, it was the European Championships and the World Championships, but also, I qualified for the long track World Championships [in February]. I’m super proud of that, especially because I’m a short-track speed skater and long track is a big thing in Holland.”

What does it mean to you to have had so much success at the World and European championships?

“It means that I’m in quite good shape. Also, the lap times I set in the 500 metres and almost a world record in the 1,000 metres – it shows that I’m in good shape and I hope I can build on that form and then this season hopefully I can do the same or even better.”

How challenging has the last 18 months been for you due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

“At the beginning I thought it was going to have a big impact because I wouldn’t be able to race and compete in the World Cups but, luckily for me, I was able to do a lot of long track racing. So, the season felt almost like a normal season. There were no Short Track World Cups, but instead I did a lot of long track competitions in Holland and it felt the same. I was still really nervous for those competitions, the same as I am for the Short Track World Cups, so it was nice to be able to do that.”

With less than 100 days to go, how are you feeling about the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022?

“Right now, I feel really good. Of course, we had the off-season and I had a couple of weeks off. I was not doing any training, so that was nice for my mind just to reload again and I think it was perfect. But right now, I’m super motivated to train again and to do my best and become even better than last year. I want to go for gold at Beijing and of course to work for the upcoming World Cups.”

Looking back to PyeongChang 2018, how do you reflect on your experiences there and your historic gold medal?

“The first part of the Olympics was not as I hoped – it was not going smoothly, as I fell down [in the 500m]. I think I was a little overawed by the whole Olympic situation, but luckily for me that was not the end. I was able to calm down a little and I found myself again. I knew [the 1,000m] was my best distance. I just felt really comfortable that day and I think that’s why I did a really good job, but I never expected to go home with gold. If I’d just won silver or bronze, I would also have been a really happy person.”

How did life change for you after becoming an Olympic champion?

“After I became an Olympic champion, I was like ‘Okay, now I have to prove to the world, and to myself, that I’m also able to win more’. So, I trained that summer extremely hard, and I really wanted to show the world that it wasn’t just one time. I wanted to prove that I’m always able to challenge for gold. I was really motivated to show everybody that I was also able to become European champion and world champion and get those World Cup titles. When you get a little taste of it, or you feel how it is to win the gold, you want more and more and more, and you’re addicted to it.”

Are you enjoying the pressure that’s come with being an Olympic champion?

“For sure. I’m super proud of it and I just want to show everybody that I’m the Olympic champion at that distance, and it’s really hard to beat me.”

Before PyeongChang, you also competed in the Winter Youth Olympic Games at Innsbruck 2012 – how do you look back on your experiences there?

“It was just really fun. I really tried to do my best, but it was all about fun, for sure. For my whole life, I have combined long track and short track. At those Games, I was able to do short track and also able to do long track, and I thought, ‘Okay, I think I can do better at long track’. So, I made my decision to do long track, and I think – for the whole experience – it doesn’t really matter if you do short track or long track. You still feel the Olympic Games. You’re super young, so you’re just excited to do everything.”

How did you find the transition from junior to senior level?

“I was 16 or 17 when I did my first senior competition, and I was just super excited to race. Everything was fun and exciting, especially seeing all the great athletes. I remember really well, if I was skating against a really good Korean or really good Canadian, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so happy that I’m skating against these really good skaters’. You’re looking up to them and it was all really fun.”

What do the Olympic Games mean to you?

“I think they are the most special event. For me, it’s the highest medal you can win. Olympic gold medal – you can’t get higher than that. It’s just really special, I think, for every athlete.”