SOCHI, Russia – The Dutch are already looking beyond their stunning success on the big oval and are concentrating on something on ice they are actually bad at — figure skating.
With 21 of 30 speedskating medals going into Saturday's final medal races, the Dutch realize there is no more measure of growth there, but still are hungry to become a better Winter Games nation.
Going into the final weekend, the Netherlands is in fourth position in the overall medals table, but apart from a lone bronze at short track, all come from a single sport.
Dutch team manager Arie Koops said that the Dutch "are slowly building from scratch" to develop their figure skating program, adding "we want to be part of the mix in a dozen years."