Paulien van Deutekom

Who is Paulien van Deutekom?

Paulien van Deutekom is a former Dutch speed skater who specialised in the middle long distances, over 1000 and 1500 metres.

In November 2005 Van Deutekom surprised when she skated among the best at the Speed Skating World Cup qualification tournament at several distances and as a result qualified herself to participate in those World Cups. During her first ever World Cup meeting in the Olympic Oval in Calgary she skated a new Dutch record over 1500 metres, skating 1:55.43, overtaking the record from Annamarie Thomas. A week later, Ireen Wüst would skate 1:54,93 which meant Van Deutekom had lost her record already.

Later, in December 2005 she participated at the 2005 Dutch Single Distance Championships, which was also the venue for Olympic Qualification. At the 1500 metres distance she finished in second position and qualified for the 2006 Winter Olympics. She also had chances over 1000 metres, however only finished in fourth position and did not directly qualify. A skate-off between her and Barbara de Loor made the decision in De Loor's favour. She also was selected to be part of the pursuit team.