Dutch Olympics squad returns to Amsterdam 20 medals heavier

On Monday afternoon the athletes of TeamNL returned to the Netherlands after a very successful Winter Olympics in South Korea. The Dutch squad brought home 20 medals - five more than they had hoped for before the games.

The team landed at Schiphol Airport at 4:15 p.m. Two F16s escorted their plane for the last part of their flight. The athletes made their way down the KLM plane's stairs, across an orange carpet, past a guard of honor to the buses that took them to their official tribute in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam.

At the Olympic Stadium hundreds of fans cheered as the athletes were presented. Andre Bolhuis congratulated the team on behalf of sports umbrella NOC*NSF. "It was fantastic what you did", the chairman said, according to Het Parool. "Fantastic. You can be proud of the way you presented our country in the international sports world."

Chef de mission Jeroen Bijl could not mention a single highlight for him. "For me, all medals were a highlight, all with their own story for which was fought together. Together they did a great job."

The Netherlands won eight gold medals, six silver and six bronze:

Gold:

• Carlijn Achtereekte - long track skating, 3 thousand meters
• Sven Kramer - long track skating, 5 thousand meters
• Ireen Wust - long track skating, 1,500 meters
• Kjled Nuis(2) - long track skating, 1 thousand meters and 1,500 meters
• Joerien ter Mors - long track skating, 1 thousand meters
• Esmee Visser - long track skating, 5 thousand meters
• Suzanne Schulting - short track skating, 1 thousand meters

Silver

• Ireen Wust - long track skating, 3 thousand meters
• Patrick Roest - long track skating, 1,500 meters
• Jorrit Bergsma - long track skating, 10 thousand meters
• Women's pursuit team - long track skating
• Sjinkie Knegt - short track, 1,500 meters
• Yara van Kerkhof - short track, 500 meters

Bronze:

• Antoinette de Jong - long track skating, 3 thousand meters
• Marrit Leenstra - long track skating, 1,500 meters
• Men's pursuit team - long track skating
• Women's relay team - short track
• Ireen Schouten - long track skating, mass start
• Koen Verweij - long track skating, mass start

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvr4ME0vCro