Lara van Ruijven

Lara van Ruijven débuted internationally in 2010, and her first successes came with the Dutch relay team. In 2013 the won the relay at the European Championships, a feat they (including Van Ruijven) would repeat in 2014, 2016, 2019-20. Globally, the team also medalled, winning 8 World Cups, a silver at the 2018 World Championships, as well as a bronze at the Olympics in the same year. The latter performance was remarkable, as the Dutch team had been eliminated in the semi-finals. They decided to give it their best in the B-final, setting a new world record, and then watched on as two teams were disqualified in the A-final, giving them the bronze.

Individually, Van Ruijven specialized in the 500 m, winning two World Cup races in that distance. In 2019, she became the first Dutch woman to win a short track world title when she grabbed gold in the 500 m in Sofia. After leading the entire final, she was pushed and overtaken in the final metres by Martina Valcepina, but the Italian was disqualified for an arm block, giving Van Ruijven the gold. Known as “The Panther”, Van Ruijven also earned individual medals at the European Championships (silver in the 2020 1,000 m, bronze in the 2019 500 m).

While on a training camp at the French mountain resort of Font-Romeu, Van Ruijven fell severely ill. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Her situation gradually worsened, and less than two weeks later she passed away, aged 27. At the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, in her honor, the Dutch speed skaters wore Panther Hearts on their uniforms.