For the Dutch, skating trumps childbirth

Michel and Ronald Mulder arrived in this world a day later than planned because their mother was busy watching speed skating on TV.

Leidy Mulder was due to deliver the twins - who won gold and bronze on Monday in the 500 meters at the Sochi Games - on Feb 26, 1986. She pushed back their induced birth by a day in order to watch the famous Eleven Cities tour.

To some, that makes no sense. But for the Dutch, it makes all the sense in the world to put off whatever you are doing - even giving birth - to watch a race that can only be skated when the ice grows thick enough along a route that covers more than 200 kilometers of frozen canals and lakes in the northern Netherlands.

"My mother said, 'I'm not going; I will go tomorrow,'" said Ronald, who won bronze at the Adler Arena. His twin brother, Michel, took the gold, edging compatriot Jan Smeekens, who won silver.

Leidy's attitude defines a love of speed skating in the Netherlands that, combined with the country's relative wealth, explains how such a small nation can come to dominate an entire sport.

The Dutch have captured seven of nine medals so far on the big oval in Sochi, including a clean sweep of all three gold.

Five years before Ireen Wust won the third of her Olympic titles this week, she already had a state-of-the-art indoor oval named for her near her hometown.

That venue is one of 17 dotted around the nation of 17 million, and the Dutch have at least two more planned. By comparison, the United States - with a population of 315 million - has only two.

"We grew up with skating. Every little kid is doing it," Michel said after winning over a distance the Dutch had never won before, let alone swept.

After three days of competition, the Mulders' medals briefly put the Dutch atop the overall Olympic standings, showing what can happen when dozens of top skaters compete against one another before even getting to the Games.

Qualifying for the Dutch team can be as tough as winning an Olympic medal.

"I was really nervous when I had to qualify," said Michel.

"(If) I am not skating well at the trials, I am not even here, I cannot even skate the Olympics. That is the level of our country."

Despite dominating long- distance events, Dutch skaters have not historically experienced the same level of success in sprints as skaters from North America and east Asia.

Gerard van Velde, who won the 1,000m title at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, has been working hard to change that as a national team coach.

"At a certain point, we created this system that produced a lot of sprinters, too," van Velde said.

"You see a new culture being created. So now, to see three sprinters at an Olympics dominate the podium, that is a milestone."

The competition is worried that is exactly what the Dutch will do.

"Right now, they are definitely a step ahead of everyone," said Japanese sprinter Keiichiro Nagashima.