Women
BEL
Tineke DEN DULK
BEL- Date of birth05 Jun 1997
- Height1710 CM
- ProfessionAthlete
- HometownHasselt
- Place of birthLeeuwarden
- Start skating / Club She took up the sport at age 10 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. / Ice Diamonds Antwerp [IDA]: Belgium
- HobbiesWatching films, reading, spending time with friends. (Athlete, 22 Nov 2021)
- LanguagesDutch, English, Frisian, German
- Other nameTinus [a club coach began calling her this]. (Athlete, 22 Nov 2021)
- CoachIngmar van Riel [national]
- ChoreographerN/A
- Former CoachN/A
- Practice low seasonN/A
- Practice high seasonN/A
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
She was named Sports Personality of the Year for 2022 by the University of Antwerp in Belgium. (nieuwsblad.be, 28 Feb 2023)
"Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions." (Athlete, 22 Nov 2021)
She missed the 2022 World Championships in Montreal, QC, Canada, after contracting COVID-19. (Instagram profile, 07 Apr 2022)
A sprained ankle prevented her from competing at the 2017 European Championships in Turin, Italy. (frieschdagblad.nl, 16 Feb 2021)
A sprained ankle prevented her from competing at the 2017 European Championships in Turin, Italy. (frieschdagblad.nl, 16 Feb 2021)
Winning gold as part of the Dutch women's 3000m relay team at the 2019 European Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. (Athlete, 22 Nov 2021)
FROM THE NETHERLANDS TO BELGIUM
She represented the Netherlands in short track when she was younger, and was part of the Dutch women's 3000m relay team that won gold at the 2019 European Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. Later that year she moved to Hasselt, Belgium, to train with the Belgian national short track team and she began competing for the nation in 2021. "I wanted to skate for another country and [Belgian short track skater] Hanne Desmet, who trains in Heerenveen [Netherlands], asked me if I would come and skate for Belgium. After a few conversations with [former Belgian] national coach Pieter Gysel and then also with the chairman of the Belgian federation, I started to look more seriously to see if it was all possible. After that I sat down with my parents and we decided that it was a feasible idea, with a nice team that offers great opportunities. I like it very much here. I'm really enjoying myself and I feel at home in the team." (omropfryslan.nl, 14 Jan 2023; sporza.be 14 Oct 2022, 12 Dec 2020; kbsf.be, 10 Feb 2021)
FURTHER EDUCATION
In 2023 she graduated with a master's degree in film studies and visual culture from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jul 2023; Athlete, 22 Nov 2021)
She represented the Netherlands in short track when she was younger, and was part of the Dutch women's 3000m relay team that won gold at the 2019 European Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. Later that year she moved to Hasselt, Belgium, to train with the Belgian national short track team and she began competing for the nation in 2021. "I wanted to skate for another country and [Belgian short track skater] Hanne Desmet, who trains in Heerenveen [Netherlands], asked me if I would come and skate for Belgium. After a few conversations with [former Belgian] national coach Pieter Gysel and then also with the chairman of the Belgian federation, I started to look more seriously to see if it was all possible. After that I sat down with my parents and we decided that it was a feasible idea, with a nice team that offers great opportunities. I like it very much here. I'm really enjoying myself and I feel at home in the team." (omropfryslan.nl, 14 Jan 2023; sporza.be 14 Oct 2022, 12 Dec 2020; kbsf.be, 10 Feb 2021)
FURTHER EDUCATION
In 2023 she graduated with a master's degree in film studies and visual culture from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jul 2023; Athlete, 22 Nov 2021)
She competed in speed skating at the 2022 Belgian Championships. (Instagram profile, 22 Feb 2022)
She has two training sessions a day.
She attended a trial session at the ice rink. "I had signed up through school, but I remember asking my mother, 'Short track speed skating, what is that actually?' I was immediately sold. My mother and I used to rollerblade and short track is a bit like rollerblading."
Ingmar van Riel [national]
