So early in the short track season, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with Suzanne Schulting’s form. The three-time Olympic champion, who was unable to play the Dutch Open earlier this month due to a sinus infection, has won all three preliminary rounds she played in Montreal. The first World Cup of the new season will take place there this weekend.

The Dutch team of the new national coach Niels Kerstholt started energetically in Canada anyway. The only downer was the disqualification of Rianne de Vries over 500 meters.

Schulting started the new season with a convincing performance over 1,500 meters. In the quarterfinals, she left the competition far behind.

It wasn’t without a struggle. “I took a hit on my knives at the start of my race, they were completely disassembled. I’m glad I managed to finish the race like this. A little pat on the back for myself.”

For the mixed relief, Schulting had to quickly change the blades under her skates. Together with Xandra Velzeboer, Teun Boer and Jens van ‘t Wout, she set the best time of all quarterfinals in the 2,000-meter mixed relay. In the quarterfinals, the Netherlands rode far away from Japan and Poland.

After that, Schulting drove the heats on her favorite distance, the 1,000 meters. Here, too, she crossed the finish line by a large margin. The 1,000 meters will be held twice this weekend and Yara van Kerkhof qualified twice for the next round. Selma Poutsma is through too.

Sisters Velzeboer

19-year-old Michelle Velzeboer and her sister Xandra (21) drove in Montreal for the first time in an international competition. They convincingly qualified for the quarter-finals in both the 1,000 and 500 meters.

Itzhak de Laat (ill) and Sven Roes (severe hip injury) were absent from the Dutch team. This freed up a last-minute spot for Bram Steenaart, who narrowly qualified for the 1,500m semifinals. Sjinkie Knegt and Friso Emons are further on the longest individual distance.

Kay Huisman, 25, making his World Cup debut, set the fastest time in his 1,000m race. Knegt, Emons and Jens van ‘t Wout are also through this distance, Teun Boer and Steenaart just don’t make it. Huisman, Boer and Van ‘t Wout qualified for the quarter-finals over 500 meters.

In the quarterfinals of the 5,000m relay, the Netherlands easily qualified for the next round with Knegt, Emons, Huisman and Van ‘t Wout. Italy, Austria and Taiwan were driven at a considerable distance.