The Norwegian outlet Dagbladet has dedicated an article to the Dutch media's coverage of Eitrem's victory. 'Hailing from the Netherlands,' reads the headline of the article, which cites passages from, among others, NU.nl and De Telegraaf.

The publication states that Eitrem's gold medal is 'big news in all Dutch newspapers' and calls it 'no wonder' that 'the world's greatest speed skating sensation' is being celebrated in the Netherlands. It also draws a parallel with Sven Kramer.

'Then silence fell over Dutch speed skating'

According to Dagbladet, Eitrem had already caused a stir in the Netherlands during the last World Cup. 'When Eitrem became the first man to dip below 6 minutes and set his historic record, silence fell over Dutch speed skating. There was a resigned acceptance among those who have long dominated this sport internationally.'

Media from our southern neighbours also reflected on the — so far — disappointing performances of the Netherlands at the Winter Olympics. Het Laatste Nieuws noted that the Netherlands had yet to secure a (speed skating) medal. Sporza called it 'remarkable' that for the first time since 1988, no Dutchman stood on the podium in the 5000 meters and observed that debutant Stijn van de Bunt narrowly avoided a fall after a 'strange moment'.

Dutch Royal Family Noticed

In the Italian media, the focus was naturally on Milanese Riccardo Lorello's bronze medal. La Gazzetta dello Sport calls Lorello 'a lucky man blessed with talent' and describes the Italian, along with Francesca Lollobrigida, as 'Brilliant'. Furthermore, the media did not miss the presence of the Dutch royal family at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.

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