Kurt Wubben is a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 marathon speed skater

Speed skating

Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...

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As of today Wubben won eight marathons on artificial speed skating tracks, including one during the 2006 Six Days of the Greenery

2006 Six Days of the Greenery

The 2006 Six Days of the Greenery of marathon speed skating was held in the Netherlands, between December 11 and December 16, 2006. The tournament hosted six races of 100 laps in six days in the chase for the brussels sprout suit....

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Kurt Wubben won the first Dick van Gangelen Trophy in 2005. In November 2006 he finished in sixth position at the 10,000 metres of the 2007 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships

2007 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships

The 2007 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships were the venue where the Dutch single distance champions in speed skating were crowned. Although the event took place from 3 November until 5 November 2006 this was the 2007 edition as it is part of the 2006-07 speed skating season...

 and was invited to join the Dutch team in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 during the 2007 Speed Skating World Cup as Sven Kramer

Sven Kramer

Sven Kramer is a Dutch long track speed skater. He is the Olympic champion of the 5000 meter in Vancouver 2010, and four-time European and World Allround Champion. He is also three-time world champion and world record holder in the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the team pursuit...

 and Carl Verheijen

Carl Verheijen

Carl Eduard Verheijen was a Dutch speedskater specializing in the longer distances 5,000-m and the 10,000-m. Verheijen is the son of skater Eddy Verheijen and has a relation with retired skater Andrea Nuyt in Leusden. They have a daughter...

 did not travel to Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. Wubben started in the B-Group, but surprised by winning the group in 13:14.31, which was a new personal record by 39 seconds and which was also faster than the time Enrico Fabris

Enrico Fabris

Enrico Fabris is a former Italian long track speed skater who has won three World Cup races and became the first European Allround Champion from Italy when he won the 2006 European Championships one month before the Winter Olympics in Turin. In 2007 he won also the silver medal an in 2008 the...

 set to win the A-Group that same day. Wubben said he had respect for riders like Fabris and Bob de Jong

Bob de Jong

Bob Johannes Carolus de Jong is a Dutch speed skater who specializes in long distances: five and ten kilometers.-Speed skating career:...

 and said he did not focus on their time, but focussed on a time of 13:30.00, the time Johann Olav Koss

Johann Olav Koss

Johann Olav Koss is a former speed skater from Norway, considered to be one of the best in history, and current assistant coach of Norway's speed skating team.-Biography:...

 set as a new world record when he won the Olympic gold in Lillehammer 1994

1994 Winter Olympics

The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...

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