Orange fever on campus as students and staff rally behind Olympian Tijmen Snel

At sports centre X, groups of students are sitting at tables. A pager goes off to signal that an order is ready. Chairs slide back and a student walks to the bar. Orange flags flutter as he walks past with his plate of pasta.

The first shots of the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, the arena where master’s student in biomechanical design Tijmen Snel (Mechanical Engineering) will skate his Olympic 1,500 metres, appear on a big screen.

Floor, Jorijn, Martijn, Sybe, Jelmer, Sofie and Dennis from the Delft student ice skating club ELS (Effe Lekker Schaatsen), are waiting relaxed at a long table in the middle. Posters of Tijmen Snel hang on pillars and green flags with the ELS logo mark their corner of the room.

Training camp in Collalbo

Two weeks ago, they were still on the ice in Collalbo themselves, says board member Jorijn. “We were there on a training camp together with the Utrecht student skating club Softijs. Skating two, sometimes three times a day.”

The Olympic track was a three-hour drive away. Jorijn: “So twenty of us went to Milan to watch the women’s 3,000 metres live.” That’s where the idea for a watch party on campus came about. “We thought: this is so much fun to watch together. Couldn’t we organise something in Delft for the 1,500 metres?”

What does it mean to them that a TU Delft student has made it to the Games? “It’s hopeful,’ says Jelmer. ‘It shows that you can skate at the highest level and study at the same time.”

‘It could go either way’

Assessing Tijmen Snel’s chances is proving to be a sensitive subject.
“I don’t expect a medal,’ Floor says honestly. ‘But I hope he does his very best and, above all, has fun.”

“Somewhere around place six or seven”, Dennis grins, with a meaningful hand gesture, a nod to a recent viral video.

They are more certain about the other Dutch skaters. “At least one Dutchman on the podium”, Jorijn predicts. “Two would be nice, but that will only happen if Jordan Stolz falls. He is really the clear favourite for gold. If Nuis has a good day, he definitely has a chance. And Wennemars… he still has some anger left after that 1,000 metres. He wants to go home with a medal.”

‘It could go either way. I hope Tijmen has a good race’

At another table, elite sports coordinator Olga Peters is watching the races intently. “It could go either way. I hope Tijmen has a good race. I sent him a text yesterday to let him know that we are here with students and staff to cheer him on.”

False start

When Joep Wennemars starts as the first Dutchman, the buzz dies down. “I really hope he wins a medal”, is the sentiment at the skaters’ table.

With strong split times, the commentary swells.
“Well done, now keep it up.”
“Wow, he’s going fast.”

At another exciting crossing (Wennemars was hindered during his 1,000-metre race by his opponent Lian Ziwen, ed.), those present hold their breath. But when he finishes with a new Olympic record, applause follows. “This is really impressive.”

Then Tijmen Snel appears at the start. Just like in the arena in Milan, the room suddenly falls silent.

“Oh shit”, someone says when there is a false start.

There is applause and encouragement when he gets away on his second attempt. But Snel makes a mistake. And then another one shortly afterwards.
“His legs are giving way”, remarks one student. “Fatigue is getting the better of him.”
“I actually expected this from Joep (Wennemars)”, adds another.

When Snel finishes with the sixth fastest time at that moment, he receives applause. “It’s a shame about those mistakes. After those mistakes, he loses his rhythm,”Floor analyses. “He can do better than this.”

“On to 2030!” one of the other members jokingly says.

Surprise

Then it’s time to wait for Kjeld Nuis. When he dips below Wennemars’ time after a fast start, the room erupts.
“Come on, Nuis!”

There is great surprise when his opponent Ning Zhongyan breaks the Olympic record by more than a second. Glances are exchanged. Almost no one expected that.

‘Pay attention, now he turns on the jets!’

Then it’s Jordan Stolz’s turn. His start isn’t impressive. There’s even a slight murmur of surprise in the hall. The top favourite seems to be struggling.

“Pay attention”, someone says. “Now he turns on the jets.”

In the final lap, Stolz indeed accelerates. It’s not enough for gold, but it is enough to knock Joep Wennemars off the podium. There won’t be two Dutchmen on the medal stage. Wennemars finishes in fourth place and Snel ultimately in eleventh. But the prediction that Nuis could shine proves to be accurate.

Jorijn finds it surprising that Ning ultimately wins the gold. “I really didn’t expect him to win.”

On to Thialf

As the TV analysts discuss the 1,500 metres, the students are already looking ahead. In mid-March, they will be back in action themselves, in Thialf. There they will compete in the SoftELS IUT, the last race of the season.