Athlete profile: Ids Postma

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

Though he did not qualify for the Dutch speed skating squad that went to Lillehammer four years ago, the then-20 year-old Postma made his breakthrough less than a month later, finishing second to Norwegian Olympic hero Johann Olav Koss at the 1994 World All-Around Championships...since then, Postma has overcome a one-year layoff due to illness to once again finish second at the World All-Arounds two years ago, before claiming the title of world champion last year at Nagano's M-Wave, the host of this year's Olympic competition..."I did not qualify for Lillehammer, but maybe I did better than the rest because they were tired from Lillehammer," says Postma in recalling his first world championships. "It was a really good feeling because I thought I could be a world or Olympic champion"...Postma's ascension was delayed one year...he missed the entire 1995 season due to mononucleosis..."He missed nine or 10 months and didn't do any training camps that year," recalls Wibiren Boer, writer for Holland's Volkskrant newspaper. "But there was no doubt that he would come back. He was still so young and very eager"...Postma hardly missed a beat upon his return...in finishing second to countryman Rintje Ritsma at the 1996 World All-Arounds, Postma did not finish below third place in any individual Events...he also won the 5,000m at that year's World Single Distance Championships...last season, Postma utilized the extra year of conditioning and experience to put together his best season, besting Japan's Keiji Shirahata and Germany's Frank Dittrich to take the world all-around title..."Last year was definitely my best season," says Postma. "I was a year older and a year better. I knew that I had a chance and that I would be at the top"...Postma started off the 1997-98 season with a bang, becoming the first man to go below the vaunted 1:50 barrier in the 1,500m, posting a time of 1:49.81 the last weekend of November in Berlin...Canadian Kevin Overland lowered the record to 1:49.07 the same weekend in Calgary...part of the improvement in Postma's time, of course, stems from the new clap skates, which he began working with last summer in Calgary..."They really make you go a lot faster," says Postma of the blades taking the world by storm. "I think you can go one second faster on every lap. In the beginning, I had a problem with the curves because you couldn't put so much pressure on the skate"...meanwhile, the head coach of the Dutch men's all-around team, Hank Gemser, credits Postma's success more to his improved timing than technology..."He started on the skate later than everyone else (who started using it before last year's World Single Distance Championships) but it only takes two or three weeks to pick it up," explains Gemser. "It was not easy (for Postma) to handle changes in the curves. His timing was too late. But now it is perfect"... Postma himself agrees the curves are now his best area on the long track..."I think it's the curves -- I can make a lot of speed there," he explains. "The positioning is very important"...in addition, Gemser believes that Postma's technique is nearly impeccable..."He is a very good skater in his body," explains Gemser. "We taught him to skate in a small lane. He makes his movements to the left and to the right over a short distance. From the starting point to the finish point, he doesn't need a lot of ice"...in the Netherlands, speed skating is the biggest sport and all-arounders receive the most acclaim, making Postma and Ritsma, the last two world all-around champions, the two most recognized athletes in the country...Postma, though, has little in common with his photogenic compatriot away from the ice...subtly attacking Ritsma, a former protégé who started his own training group three years ago, Gemser believes that Postma embodies the true ideals of the sport..."He gets enjoyment from training on ice and he likes skating as a sportsman, but not for money or fame," says Gemser of Postma. "He likes the competition. He does not pay attention to things not in the sport," referring to Ritsma's television commercials for soap and body care products. "He likes normal clothing. I like that guy. I'm a trainer, not an entertainer"...Boer adds, "Ritsma is the most popular skater in Holland because of his looks, of course. He's more of a public figure. If the cameras are rolling, he's always smiling. Postma is not interested in these things. Postma acts (in front of cameras) the way he is at the moment"...though they do socialize on the road, Boer also hints at friction between Postma and Ritsma...in an interview with Volkskrant after Ritsma set up his own team, he said, "It irritated me in the past that there were members of the team that didn't deserve to be there, that didn't have the quality to be there"...according to Boer, Postma took Ritsma's remarks personally..."Postma thought that Ritsma was referring to him because he was sick," says Boer. "Then this year Rintje said, ‘If I'm in my best shape, no one can beat me. I'm capable of winning three gold medals in Nagano, like Koss (in Lillehammer).' Postma didn't like this at all. This has motivated him a lot. Postma is never going to say to you, ‘I'm competing against Team Ritsma,' but there's a rivalry between the national team and Team Ritsma"...his body better suited to the 1,000m and 1,500m, Postma has tried to improve his skating in the longer distances, to compete with the likes of Ritsma and teammates Gianni Romme and Bob de Jong at the 5,000m and 10,000m..."I'd like to skate a good 10K," says Postma. "Now I try to start fast and hold it on as long as possible"...but, according to Gemser, Postma already does a pretty good job given his strong safety-sized frame..."Postma is the only true all-arounder on my team," says Gemser. "He is one of the few guys who can skate 35-36 seconds in the 500 and 14 minutes in the 10K. His body weight is high because he has more muscles. You don't need that on distance (events), you need to take it with you from start to finish and you need a lot of oxygen"...Postma's hometown of Deerum is located in the northern part of Holland, where lakes and canals are in abundance...most Dutch children learn to skate on these open waters after they freeze in the winter...Postma's father, a dairy farmer, put Ids on the ice when he was four years old and the younger Postma began competing at the age of 12...he joined the national junior team before the 1992-93 season and, just as he did at the senior level, finished second in his first junior World All-Around Championships...his father also served to be a significant supporter and motivator of Ids' fledgling skating career, and helped him make the 20 km commute between his home and the ice rink..."Dad always told me ‘You're talented but there can only be one world champion in the world," says Ids...perhaps in honor of his father, Postma plans to carry on the family line..."I really like it," says Ids of milking cows. "I want to be a farmer later, after skating"...his mother, along with Ids and his older sister, used to help with farm work...he began harboring Olympic dreams after watching four-time Olympic medalist Tomas Gustafson of Sweden win gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m races in Calgary in 1988 and now hopes for a similar feat in Nagano..."I will try to get as high (a result) as possible," says Ids. "It would be great to win an Olympic medal. If other guys are skating faster than you (and I don't win) it's okay but if it's bad luck, like a fall or an illness, then it's very disappointing"...Postma speaks English and enjoys watching American television programs including "The Ricki Lake show" and "Married with Children"...