Men
NED
Dai Dai Ntab
NED- Date of birth17 Aug 1994
- Height188 CM
- ProfessionAthlete
- HometownAmsterdam
- Place of birthAmsterdam
- Start skatingHe first tried speed skating at age 12 on an ice track in Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
- Club Team Jumbo-Visma: Netherlands
- HobbiesN/A
- LanguagesDutch, English, French
- Other nameAlexandre [a name that is also shown in his passport], Gifkikker ['Poisonous frog', a nickname given to him by his teammates for being so energetic]. (nrc.nl, 17 Nov 2019; schaatsen.nl, 20 Feb 2014)
- CoachN/A
- Former CoachN/A
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
US speed skater Shani Davis, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, Dutch speed skater Ronald Mulder. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2017; omroepbrabant.nl, 05 Jul 2017)
He was troubled by back problems in 2022 and 2023. (teamjumbovisma.nl, 28 Oct 2023; schaatsen.nl, 16 Sep 2023)
He sustained a groin injury in the late part of 2015. (schaatsen.nl, 17 Oct 2016)
He sustained a groin injury in the late part of 2015. (schaatsen.nl, 17 Oct 2016)
To compete at the Olympic Winter Games. (schaatsen.nl, 03 Oct 2022)
MISSING PYEONGCHANG AND BEIJING
He did not qualify to compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang or the 2022 Games in Beijing. He was disqualified for two false starts at the 2018 Dutch Olympic Trials and finished in second place in the 500m at the 2022 National Trials, which was only enough for a place as a travelling reserve in Beijing. He talked to a sports psychologist to come to terms with the disappointment but eventually worked through it on his own. "Skating is not just training for me, it's a way of life. When I lie in bed at night, I think, 'How can I do my next workout better? How can I skate better?' And that experience was always painful. And so all the training sessions were confrontational. I tried it [seeing a psychologist], but found it wasn't necessary for me. Everyone has to do it their own way, it didn't work for me. I am a real talker, mirror a lot with the people who are close to me. I could come to other insights with a psychologist, but I love this sport too much to get stuck in it." (schaatsen.nl, 16 Sep 2023, 03 Oct 2022; ad.nl, 28 Dec 2017; rtvnoord.nl, 27 Dec 2017)
HERITAGE
He has a Dutch mother and a Senegalese father. (nrc.nl, 17 Nov 2019; nos.nl, 01 Nov 2014)
He did not qualify to compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang or the 2022 Games in Beijing. He was disqualified for two false starts at the 2018 Dutch Olympic Trials and finished in second place in the 500m at the 2022 National Trials, which was only enough for a place as a travelling reserve in Beijing. He talked to a sports psychologist to come to terms with the disappointment but eventually worked through it on his own. "Skating is not just training for me, it's a way of life. When I lie in bed at night, I think, 'How can I do my next workout better? How can I skate better?' And that experience was always painful. And so all the training sessions were confrontational. I tried it [seeing a psychologist], but found it wasn't necessary for me. Everyone has to do it their own way, it didn't work for me. I am a real talker, mirror a lot with the people who are close to me. I could come to other insights with a psychologist, but I love this sport too much to get stuck in it." (schaatsen.nl, 16 Sep 2023, 03 Oct 2022; ad.nl, 28 Dec 2017; rtvnoord.nl, 27 Dec 2017)
HERITAGE
He has a Dutch mother and a Senegalese father. (nrc.nl, 17 Nov 2019; nos.nl, 01 Nov 2014)
He always gets his hair cut before a competition. (nos.nl, 10 Jan 2020)
He came into contact with the sport through inline skating. He practised both sports until he had to choose between them at age 18.
