Stijn and Hanne Desmet in action during the mixed relay — © Getty Images
Stijn and Hanne Desmet already have silver and bronze on their World Cup record, but only global gold is missing from the family trophy cabinet of the Belgian short track brother and sister. That could change this weekend in Rotterdam.
The Short Track World Championships will take place in Rotterdam from Friday to Sunday. Ten thousand Dutch people will try to shout their fellow countrymen to the world titles for three days. “But fortunately there is also a corner with a hundred Belgians,” laughs Hanne Desmet. The 27-year-old from Mechelen is probably the most important ‘foreigner’ who can disrupt the orange party among the women.
After all, among the men, the Dutch are not favorites anywhere, among the women they have potential world champions at all distances: It is mainly on the two longest distances that Hanne Desmet (27) hopes to strike in Rotterdam. “I want to win gold. It doesn’t matter to me which song,” says Desmet. Our compatriot seems to have the best chance in the 1,500 meters. She is number two in the world rankings and has won three World Cups this season. But at major championships, something always seems to go wrong over that longest distance. While the money often goes well in the 1,000 meters: she won her only World Cup medal (silver), Olympic medal (bronze) and European titles (2x gold) in the intermediate distance. “In principle I should be at my best in the 1,500 meters, but it will depend on my ride and my decisions along the way.”
Over the past three years, Hanne Desmet has collected 8 medals at international championships (European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games) and 19 medals at World Cups. This now creates high expectations among the outside world. “That is very special. Before, no one expected anything from me. While most champions win big early, I don’t have to deal with that pressure until I get older. I feel that the outside world sees it as a failure if I am not on stage. I try to focus on having fun in races. In any case, I am a more complete skater than ever: more tactical, physically stronger and faster. And I am certainly in good shape,” he sounds confidently.”
Hanne Desmet recently won the 1,500m at the Dresden World Cup — © Getty Images
Expectations are slightly lower for younger brother Stijn (25). However, Stijn (three) has more World Cup medals than sister Hanne (one). The reality, however, is that the top of the global field of participants is wider for men than for women and that Stijn was slightly less able to leave his mark on the past season. “I have five medal chances this weekend, that’s a lot,” Stijn counts. “In the individual events there are about fifteen men who are eligible for a medal. In the two redemption numbers (men and mixed redemption) there are six or seven. That’s why I think that’s where my best opportunities lie.”
Stijn Desmet has regularly provided the Belgian relief teams with international honors over the past two years thanks to his phenomenal final shot. “Those have indeed been my best races in recent seasons. In relays I find it easier to continue to get the most out of myself despite the fatigue. The motivation and desire to help the team win a medal are always high. Physically it also suits me enormously because I don’t have to speed up myself. I can achieve extra top speed without it becoming extremely physically demanding.” While the major short track nations such as Canada, the Netherlands and South Korea have enough talent to rest their absolute top players in the series and semi-finals, Stijn Desmet has to show up for Belgium in every race. “I am usually the overall winner in the rankings for the most kilometers per tournament, but no medals are awarded for that. Otherwise that was my best chance.”