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Thomas Krol

Netherlands

SportSpeed Skating
FederationIDSSNED11608199201
NOCNetherlands
Born16 Aug 1992 in  Deventer
GenderMen
FamilyPartner Ramona Westerhuis
ResidenceHeerenveen, NED
Higher educationAviation Studies - University of Amsterdam: Netherlands
LanguagesDutch, English, German
OccupationAthlete
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 37.02 28 Jan 2012 Collalbo  
    500m 34.69 27 Dec 2021 Heerenveen  
    1000m 1:06.25 09 Mar 2019 Salt Lake City, UT  
    1500m 1:40.54 10 Mar 2019 Salt Lake City, UT  
    5000m 6:46.30 28 Dec 2010 Heerenveen  
    10000m 14:40.13 18 Mar 2012 Enschede  
Main Achievements
 
Main Achievements
Olympic Games
Event  
Olympic Games
    1000m 1      
    1500m   1    
World Junior Championships
Event  
World Junior Championships
    1500m   1    
    Team Pursuit 1   1  
    Allround   1    
World Single Distances Championships
Event  
World Single Distances Championships
    1000m   2    
    1500m 2 1 2  
    Team Sprint 1      
World Sprint Championships
Event  
World Sprint Championships
    Team Sprint     1  
    Overall 1      
European Single Distances Championships
Event  
European Single Distances Championships
    1000m 1 1    
    1500m 1 2    
European Sprint Championships
Event  
European Sprint Championships
    Overall 1      
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Club / TeamTeam Jumbo-Visma: Netherlands  
General Interest
General Interest
Awards and honoursHe was named Male Speed Skater of the Year for the 2021/22 season by the Dutch Royal Speed Skating Federation. (knsb.nl, 31 Oct 2022)

In 2019 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Deventer in the Netherlands. (schaatsen.nl, 22 Oct 2019; rtvoost.nl, 20 Feb 2019)

He was named the 2016 Male Athlete of the Year in Deventer, Netherlands. (deventerpost.nl, 06 Feb 2017)
 
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Name of coachJac Orie [club], NED; Rintje Ritsma [national], NED  
When and where did you begin this sport?He began skating in 1999 in Deventer, Netherlands.  
Social Media
Social Media
www.facebook.com/Thomas-Krol-638731543129895  
twitter.com/ThomasKrol  
General Interest
General Interest
InjuriesHe was affected by an old hip injury in the lead-up to the 2021 National Single Distances Championships in the Netherlands. (volkskrant.nl, 31 Oct 2021)

He tore a muscle in his groin in 2016. (Athlete, 23 Nov 2018)

In 2010 he injured the iliopsoas muscle in his hip and was unable to skate for two weeks. (Athlete, 02 Dec 2015)
 
Memorable sporting achievementWinning gold in the 1000m at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (helden.media, 08 Nov 2022)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sportHis sister was already involved in the sport.  
General Interest
General Interest
Most influential person in careerHis parents. (Athlete, 23 Nov 2018)  
Hero / IdolSlovak cyclist Peter Sagan. (Athlete, 23 Nov 2018)  
Sporting philosophy / motto"Little work, big achievement." (Athlete, 23 Nov 2018)  
Other informationSPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST
He worked with a sports psychologist in the lead-up to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He had been feeling the pressure heading in to the Games, and felt he needed help in improving his focus. He went on to win gold in the 1000m in Beijing. "My problem was I was paying attention to too many things. I had difficulty focusing. After a bad race I started looking at everything that went wrong. I was looking to the future and I saw everything collapsing like a pack of cards. As a top athlete you have to keep your thoughts very narrow. The sports psychologist told me I should take one point from every race to work on. When I mentioned the start was not good, the first corner was bad that I did not approach the other corners well and that the second lap was not good, she would say, 'Pick one thing that you can work on, the rest doesn't matter now'." (helden.media, 08 Nov 2022)

CYCLING PASSION
He is a cycling enthusiast and spends his summers riding mountains in Europe. His father owns a bicycle travel company and helps him plan the cycling routes he will take each year. He has kept a record of the different mountains he has cycled and how steep each mountain is since he was age 12. "Now there are more than 700 mountains in it [his list]. In the first years it was exciting whether I would make it to the top. Steep mountains like the Mortirolo [in Italy], Zoncolan [in Italy] and Angliru [in Spain] were a challenge to get to the top without having to get off. In the meantime it has become a collection and I want to be able to tick everything off. I not only like the mountains and the beautiful views, but also the sporting challenge. During the climb I curse myself, but once I get to the top I feel incredibly satisfied. You really can't make me happier than cycling in the mountains. That's more fun than skating in Inzell [Germany] or going to Collalbo [Italy]. Cycling in the mountains is a mental game. I put on some music and look around me. I can enjoy it and I don't suffer mentally. World championships or [Olympic Winter] Games are a bit different, those tournaments bring much more stress and pressure. It's a totally different experience. That's what I train for and I want to win prizes. I can only relax after the race." (schaatsen.nl, 14 Jul 2022)

FLYING HIGH
He has studied to become a pilot at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He hopes to compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina and then join the Flying Academy of Dutch airline KLM. "I think planes are fantastic and I regularly sit at home simulating flights. The study is not a top priority, but I think it is important to have in mind. Many people do not, and I find that quite worrying. I always recommend studying. I have to take an entrance exam during my last year of skating. Then of course I hope that I will be accepted there. After that, fly with KLM." (schaatsen.nl, 21 Jul 2023, 22 Oct 2019; luchtvaartnieuws.nl, 16 Apr 2022)
 
HobbiesFlight simulation, playing video games, cycling. (schaatsen.nl, 26 Mar 2020, 22 Oct 2019)  
AmbitionsTo compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (schaatsen.nl, 30 Sep 2022)  
Famous relativesHis partner Ramona Westerhuis has competed in speed skating at national level in the Netherlands. She also represented the Netherlands in roller speed skating at the 2019 World Roller Games in Barcelona, Spain. (SportsDeskOnline, 15 Nov 2022; schaatsen.nl, 08 Aug 2021)  
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2021/2022 World Sprint Championships Overall1  
    2020/2021 European Sprint Championships Overall1  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships Team Sprint1  
    2019/2020 European Single Distances Championships 1500m1  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships 1500m1  
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships 1000m1  
    2020/2021 World Single Distances Championships 1500m1  
    2022 Olympic Games 1000m1  
    2019/2020 European Single Distances Championships 1000m2  
    2017/2018 European Single Distances Championships 1500m2  
    2022 Olympic Games 1500m2  
    2021/2022 European Single Distances Championships 1500m2  
    2018/2019 World Single Distances Championships 1000m2  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships 1000m2  
    2019/2020 World Single Distances Championships 1500m2  
    2021/2022 World Sprint Championships Team Sprint3  
    2022/2023 World Single Distances Championships 1500m3  
    2015/2016 World Single Distances Championships 1500m3  
    2017/2018 European Single Distances Championships 1000m4  
    2018/2019 European Sprint Championships Overall17  
    2022 Olympic Games 500m18  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 1500m1  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1000m1  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1000m1  
    2019/2020 Heerenveen 1000m1  
    2018/2019 Heerenveen 1500m1  
    2019/2020 Nur-Sultan Team Sprint1  
    2019/2020 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Team Sprint1  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen 1500m1  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen 1000m1  
    2019/2020 Nur-Sultan 1000m1  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen 1500m1  
    2021/2022 Salt Lake City, UT 1000m1  
    2019/2020 Tomaszów Mazowiecki 1500m1  
    2019/2020 Minsk 1000m1  
    2021/2022 Stavanger 1000m1  
    2020/2021 World Cup Classification 1000m2  
    2018/2019 Salt Lake City, UT 1500m2  
    2019/2020 Heerenveen 1500m2  
    2021/2022 Heerenveen 1500m2  
    2018/2019 Salt Lake City, UT 1000m2  
    2021/2022 Heerenveen 1000m2  
    2021/2022 Tomaszów Mazowiecki 1000m2  
    2022/2023 Calgary, AB 1000m2  
    2019/2020 Calgary, AB 1000m2  
    2020/2021 Heerenveen 1000m2  
    2018/2019 Hamar 1000m2  
    2017/2018 World Cup Classification 1500m3  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1500m3  
    2022/2023 Heerenveen 1500m3  
    2021/2022 Salt Lake City, UT 1500m3  
    2017/2018 Stavanger 1000m3  
    2018/2019 Obihiro 1000m3  
    2015/2016 Stavanger 1000m3  
    2014/2015 Berlin 1500m3  
    2018/2019 Tomakomai 1000m3  
    2022/2023 Calgary, AB 1500m3  
    2017/2018 Heerenveen 1500m3  
    2017/2018 Salt Lake City, UT 1500m3  
    2019/2020 Minsk 1500m3  
    2018/2019 Tomakomai 1500m3  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1000m4  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 1500m4  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1000m4  
    2017/2018 World Cup Classification 1000m5  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1500m5  
    2017/2018 World Cup Classification Overall7  
    2016/2017 World Cup Classification 1000m7  
    2015/2016 World Cup Classification 1500m7  
    2016/2017 World Cup Classification 1500m8  
    2014/2015 World Cup Classification 1500m8  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1500m9  
    2015/2016 World Cup Classification 1000m10  
    2015/2016 World Cup Classification Overall15  
    2014/2015 World Cup Classification Overall18  
    2023/2024 World Cup Classification 1500m20  
    2016/2017 World Cup Classification Overall24  
    2012/2013 World Cup Classification 1500m28  
    2013/2014 World Cup Classification 1000m31  
    2013/2014 World Cup Classification 1500m36