Men
NED
Merijn Scheperkamp
NED- Date of birth06 Mar 2000
- ProfessionAthlete, Student
- HometownHeerenveen
- Place of birthHilversum
- Start skating / Club He took up ice skating and inline skating at the Zeist Skating and Inline Skating Association in the Netherlands. / Team Jumbo-Visma [NED] / SIV Zeist [NED]:
- LanguagesDutch, English
- Other nameFrenkie (nos.nl, 28 Dec 2021)
- CoachJac Orie [Jumbo-Visma], NED; Rintje Ritsma [national], NED
- ChoreographerN/A
- Former CoachN/A
- Practice low seasonN/A
- Practice high seasonN/A
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
He sustained a groin injury during training in October 2022. (schaatsen.nl, 28 Oct 2022)
To win gold at the Olympic Winter Games. (gooieneembode.nl, 10 May 2020)
OVERCOMING NERVES
He experiences competition-related nerves to the extent that he will sometimes vomit before competing. However, he believes the nerves help his performance level. "This tension makes me better and is part of me. When a lion chases an antelope, he also runs at his fastest. I have that a bit with skating, that I skate at my fastest when I really have the urge to perform. This is when the stress is highest, but so is the performance. People said to me, 'Hey, I'm having a hard time with this too' [after images of him vomiting were shown on TV]. Not skaters, but people who were nervous about a test or something." (volkskrant.nl, 01 Mar 2023)
He experiences competition-related nerves to the extent that he will sometimes vomit before competing. However, he believes the nerves help his performance level. "This tension makes me better and is part of me. When a lion chases an antelope, he also runs at his fastest. I have that a bit with skating, that I skate at my fastest when I really have the urge to perform. This is when the stress is highest, but so is the performance. People said to me, 'Hey, I'm having a hard time with this too' [after images of him vomiting were shown on TV]. Not skaters, but people who were nervous about a test or something." (volkskrant.nl, 01 Mar 2023)
He has represented the Netherlands in roller speed skating, and won a silver medal at the 2019 European Championships in Pamplona, Spain. (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Nov 2021; schaatsen.nl, 02 Feb 2019)
"My parents were good skaters. My sister is four years older and she started skating. I wanted that too."
Jac Orie [Jumbo-Visma], NED; Rintje Ritsma [national], NED
