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Melle van 't Wout

Netherlands

SportShort Track
FederationIDSTNED11802200001
NOCNetherlands
Born18 Feb 2000 in Laren 
GenderMen
ResidenceSintjohannesga, NED
OccupationAthlete
LanguagesDutch, English, French, German
Personal Bests
EventRecordDateLocation 
Personal Bests
  Event RecordDateLocation 
    500m 40.259 06 Nov 2022 Salt Lake City, UT  
    1000m 1:25.695 24 Sep 2023 Leeuwarden  
    1500m 2:15.103 30 Sep 2023 Heerenveen  
Main Achievements
 
Main Achievements
World Junior Championships
Event  
World Junior Championships
    3000m Relay   1    
European Championships
Event  
European Championships
    2000m Relay 1      
    5000m Relay 1      
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Club / TeamTrias Shorttrack: Leeuwarden, NED  
General Interest
General Interest
Famous relativesHis younger brother Jens has represented the Netherlands in short track, including at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 31 Oct 2022; nos.nl, 11 Feb 2022; teamnl.org, 23 Nov 2021)  
Sport Specific Information
Sport Specific Information
Reason for choosing this sportHis parents did not want him to go further with ice hockey because he had sustained too many injuries. Coach Wilma Boomstra from Sint Jacobiparochie, Netherlands, then invited him and his younger brother Jens to compete in short track. "It didn't go so well. We applied ice hockey techniques to short track skating and had to get used to it. I don't know how, but she saw talent in us."  
Name of coachNiels Kerstholt [national], NED  
When and where did you begin this sport?He began playing ice hockey in 2005 with the Bracebridge Bears club in Ontario, Canada, and got involved in short track at Barrie Speed Skating Club eight years later. He decided to pursue the sport at age 14 after moving back to the Netherlands.  
General Interest
General Interest
Other informationEARLY DAYS
He moved to Canada at a young age and played ice hockey for eight years while he was at school there. However, his parents insisted he quit the sport after he sustained a number of injuries. "I thought ice hockey was a great sport with lots of action and you have to think carefully. It was also a fierce sport with many risks. When I was age 14, for example, I suffered a concussion during a competition. At first I thought that [being told to give up ice hockey] was a shame. I was disappointed and I missed my teammates. Ice hockey is a team sport and within such a team you do everything for each other. We really stood up for each other." (helden.media, 28 Jul 2022; volkskrant.nl, 03 Jan 2021; vantwoutjes.nl, 01 Dec 2019; schaatsen.nl, 03 Jan 2019)

SHORT TRACK SIBLINGS
His younger brother Jens also competes in short track. "The fact that the bond between us is so close also has to do with the move from Canada to the Netherlands. That made us need each other very much. We arrived in a foreign country, did not know the language. We had a lot of support for each other. We spend all the time together on the ice. We give each other technical instructions, try to make each other better. If I don't qualify for the final and Jens does, then I will be very happy for him. If Jens continues and I don't, then I don't feel like I've lost. It will be annoying if we both lose." (schaatsen.nl, 19 Oct 2023; helden.media, 28 Jul 2022)
 
Social Media
Social Media
www.facebook.com/Melle-Van-t-Wout-577621665996443  
twitter.com/vantwoutjes  
General Interest
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto"Go big or go home." (Facebook profile, 01 Oct 2020)  
InjuriesHe sustained bruised ribs at the 2023 World Cup event in Dresden, Germany. (Instagram profile, 10 Feb 2023)

In December 2021 he sustained a back injury. (Instagram profile, 19 Jan 2022; schaatsen.nl, 31 Dec 2021)
 
Championships results
Year Competition Event Rank  
Championships results
    2022/2023 European Championships 2000m Relay1  
    2022/2023 European Championships 5000m Relay1  
    2018/2019 World Junior Championships 3000m Relay2  
    2022/2023 European Championships 500m8  
    2022/2023 European Championships 1000m17  
    2018/2019 World Junior Championships 500m24  
    2018/2019 World Junior Championships 1000m46  
World Cups
Year Competition Event Rank  
World Cups
    2022/2023 Dresden 2000m Relay3  
    2019/2020 Dresden 500m3  
    2019/2020 Dresden 5000m Relay3  
    2019/2020 Shanghai 5000m Relay4  
    2022/2023 Dresden 5000m Relay7  
    2018/2019 Dresden 5000m Relay8  
    2022/2023 Dresden 500m10  
    2022/2023 Salt Lake City, UT 500m10  
    2022/2023 Salt Lake City, UT 500m12  
    2019/2020 Shanghai 500m12  
    2018/2019 Dresden 500m13  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 500m18  
    2019/2020 Shanghai 500m21  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 500m22  
    2022/2023 Dresden 1500m22  
    2019/2020 Dresden 1000m23  
    2021/2022 World Cup Classification 500m25  
    2018/2019 Dresden 1500m42  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 500m46  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification Overall51  
    2022/2023 World Cup Classification 1500m60  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1000m70  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1000m77  
    2019/2020 World Cup Classification 1500m102  
    2018/2019 World Cup Classification 1500m109