The first day of medal events at the ISU Short Track European Championships 2026 in Tilburg, Netherlands was a show of dominance by the host nation – and a big moment of joy for the Van 't Wout family.

Jens van 't Wout won back-to-back gold medals on Saturday, defending his men's 500m and 1500m titles from Dresden, Germany, last year. In the 500m final, the Netherlands produced a clean sweep as Teun Boer claimed silver, while the winner's elder brother Melle van 't Wout, whose career has been decimated by injury over recent years, crowned his comeback season with a bronze.

"It was amazing," said Jens van 't Wout, 24.

"I don't know if it has even happened before – three Dutchies on a podium in the 500m – so that was already great.

"And to be in the A final with my brother was already amazing and to also see him on the podium after such a troubled start to this year, and last year, was really good. I was so happy."

Dutch delight as Jens Van ’t Wout, Teun Boer and Melle Van ’t Wout celebrate their podium sweep in the 500m at the 2026 ISU European Short Track Championships in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

As the brothers shared the podium on home ice, with their parents in the stands at Tilburg's packed IJssportcentrum, few Dutch Short Track fans could have imagined a better outcome of Saturday's action. The winner, however, did.

"If Melle had won gold in the 500m, that would've been better," he said.

"But it was a great day, with two golds, I couldn't have asked for more. And it was really fun racing. The level of the Europeans is super high right now, so it's a really good test for me towards the Olympics."

Golden boy: Jens van ’t Wout (NED), who won two European titles on Saturday in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

With the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games around the corner, Van 't Wout believes his two gold medals prove he is on the right path.

"It shows that what we are doing is working," he said.

"We decided to not completely peak for this competition – it would of course not work if we then had to peak again at the Olympics. So even if we didn't come here at 100% capacity, I'm still able to pull good lap times and fast races. I still have the agility to move."

Van 't Wout said he had pulled a surprise in the 1500m race, in which he finished 0.115s ahead of runner-up Roberts Kruzbergs of Latvia, as Italy's Thomas Nadalini claimed bronze.

1500m battle: European champion Jens van ’t Wout (NED) fends off silver medalist Roberts Kruzbergs (LAT) and Thomas Nadalini (ITA, bronze) at the 2026 ISU European Short Track Championships in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

"Usually I like to lead a bit more, I like to go to the front with six laps to go and pull as hard as I can, to see who can come with me and try to defend," he said.

"Now I decided to just stay in the pack. You could see in the race that people moved forward to try to get in second place behind me, expecting me to take over. But that didn't come and I think that caused some confusion and that helped me."

In the 500m final, there was less time to waste and Van 't Wout made his move as fast as he could.

"I knew that Teun is really good at skating fast and really tight, so I knew I had to get him really quick at the start," he said.

"I got a little bit distracted because in the corner of my eye I saw Melle jump up to three behind me, so I was really happy that he was already up there, and then I just tried to get past Teun as quickly as possible.

"In the 500m, if you do something like that it's almost done with the race."

Jens van ’t Wout (NED) beats teammates Teun Boer (NED) and Melle Van ’t Wout (NED) to take 500m gold at the 2026 ISU European Short Track Championships in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

Boer, 24, knows what gap he needs to close next time he is up against Van 't Wout.

"There's always room for improvement," he said.

"I wanted to go at top speed and then you go a little bit wider, but (I) skated a bit too wide in the beginning, and then Jens passed me, which is really smart of him.

"But I'm really happy with the silver. Full home crowd and getting a clean sweep was really nice."

Teun Boer (NED): European silver medalist in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

For Melle van 't Wout, his first individual major championship medal means a difficult injury period is behind him as he aims for bigger things.

"It was amazing," the 25-year-old said.

"It was a bit of a tough day – I wasn't really skating the way I wanted to or am used to – but I think I showed a good fighting spirit and step by step made it to the A final.

"There, I started from position five, which I've done a lot this season, and just waited for the right moment. When it presented itself, I went for it and then I just skated it home."

Melle Van 't Wout (center) is all smiles as he is embraced by his brother Jens (left) and flanked by teammate Teun Boer in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

The result promises bigger things, as the Short Track starts at Milano Cortina 2026 on 10 February.

"If this is the result with the way I'm feeling now, then I'm only looking forward to February, to the Olympics, where we will have a bit more time to recover more, and we'll hopefully be in the best form ever," he said.

Until then, he gets to prepare himself with the loud support from the orange Short Track fans in Tilburg behind him.

"If you want a medal somewhere, it's always in front of the home crowd," Van 't Wout said.

"But to do it also in an individual distance, with Jens and with Teun – we work so hard with the whole team, so it's a super special moment."

Dutch sprinters clean up in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

For Kruzbergs, his 1500m silver medal meant a career-first major championships podium.

"It's like I finally unlocked the medal that I always wanted. I had seven or eight World Cup medals and no Europeans, so I'm super happy that finally I could get this medal and celebrate a bit," he said.

"The race was very smooth and the next thing you know, you're on the podium celebrating.

"I'm not usually the guy who shows crazy emotions. Maybe I will still need some time. I will call my family, just to celebrate with them, but nothing is done and we still have one more day left here."

Roberts Kruzbergs (LAT): European Championship silver medalist in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

The 24-year-old from Ventspils finished fourth in the 1500m at the 2024 European Championships and qualified for the final last year but did not finish.

"Coming into the European Championships or World Championships, I have tended to be sick or not have very good health," he said.

"I don't know if it's from stress or something else but I've not been that lucky. This first distance medal feels so good."

What made it work out this time, then? The Latvian said he had tried three different blades this season, but in the end decided to go back to the manufacturer he used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Kruzbergs (left) on the 1500m podium in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

"Maybe this gave me the feeling that I wanted. I'm feeling quite stable," he said.

"And training-wise, I have made a good effort, and in the summer, the preparation was pretty intense. Now it is just about keeping the intensity level."

In the final, he played his game cleverly and stuck behind Van 't Wout.

"Tactically, I would say I skated pretty solidly, and my passes – apart from the one I tried to do on Niall Treacy (GBR), that didn't have enough speed – were quite well-prepared," he said.

"Every race is different and in the middle of a race you need to adapt to the other skaters, what they are doing, and see what their vision is, and either follow someone or do your own thing.

"So I chose to follow Jens, as I would say he is the strongest athlete here, and other than that I was just doing my own race and it went super well.”

After going for more glory at the IJssportcentrum in Tilburg as the European Championships conclude on Sunday, his next chance to "unlock" a new milestone will come at Milano Cortina 2026.

"That would be super huge and I'd be super grateful," Kruzbergs said.

"The opportunity to skate there is already super good. I will just go to the Olympics and try to do my best as usual and we will see what happens."

He is convinced that his first championship medal will help him chase more.

"This gave me a boost. This is a huge mental unlock," Kruzbergs said.

Also claiming his first major individual championship medal in the 1500m final, Dresden 2025 European Championships men's 5000m relay gold medallist Nadalini saw lots of room for improvement in his own skating, adding that "hopefully" that would come for Italy's home Games.

Thomas Nadalini (ITA) in action at the 2026 ISU European Short Track Championships in Tilburg, Netherlands © ISU

"I didn't feel like the body was following my mind so I couldn't give it all in the end. Of course, it's still a medal and I cannot complain about it, but I felt I could've done better. I am pretty hard on myself.

"I didn't feel 100%. But the others – Jens and ‘Kruz’ – were probably also not 100%, but they read the race better than me and moved at the right time, so that made the difference."

On Sunday, the men's Short Track action in Tilburg concludes with the relay and 1000m final, where the 2025 silver medallist Jens van 't Wout hopes to battle it out with Italy's defending champion, Pietro Sighel.

"I'm really excited to race him again," the Dutchman said.

"I think he'll definitely be better recovered than me, but I will also try to continue a different tactic tomorrow in the 1000m.

"Last year I just pulled the whole race and he got me to the finish, so hopefully I can sit behind him and chase him and we see how that goes."

Where to watch the ISU Short Track European Championships 2026