Dutch speedskater lauds Chinese experience

Speedskating medal hopeful Thomas Krol from the Netherlands hailed China's COVID-19 prevention measures and said he is looking forward to the rivalry with Chinese skaters at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

"It's really safe," said Krol after finishing a training session at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Tuesday.

"If we look at the last two years, I think China has one of the best records with COVID-19, like the numbers are really low."

The 29-year-old Dutch skater was impressed by China's swift action in nucleic acid testing and valued China's efforts in hosting the Beijing Winter Games.

"I heard stories that the Chinese government tests a whole city of millions of people in just a few days. It's really impressive how they do that," he said.

"We should be happy that it's being held in China, because with the virus, I think China is the best country to organize it at this moment. China does everything to make it safe, and I think they're really doing a great job."

Winning the men's 1,500m at the World Single Distance Championships in 2019 and 2021, Krol is one of the strong medal contenders in Beijing, where he will face challenges from home skater Ning Zhongyan.

Ning has won the men's 1,500m and 1,000m gold in the World Cup series this season.

"Ning is one of the best Chinese skaters and I think he is one of the favorites for winning the gold," Krol said.

"I really look forward to this battle against him, but I hope to win myself of course. He's really a nice guy. If I don't win, then I wouldn't mind if he does because he's really a nice person."

The speedskating events of the Beijing Winter Games will start on Saturday and last until Feb 19.