{"id":43968,"date":"2023-12-21T10:22:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T09:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cruyffalumni.org\/johancruyffinstitute-2026\/ireen-wust-athletes-can-talk-about-their-mental-health\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T00:41:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T22:41:29","slug":"ireen-wust-athletes-can-talk-about-their-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johancruyffinstitute.cruyffalumni.org\/en\/the-magazine\/coaching\/ireen-wust-athletes-can-talk-about-their-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireen W\u00fcst: “Fortunately, athletes can talk about their mental health without fear of being stigmatized”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireen W\u00fcst, the Netherlands’ most successful Olympian, talks to us about her work as an athlete mentor at TeamNL Center North, and as a performance and mental health expert within the Dutch Olympic Committee. This year she graduated from the Master in Coaching at Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam<\/a><\/h2>\n

Ireen W\u00fcst<\/strong><\/a> belongs to that select group of athletes to whom the term GOAT (greatest of all time) applies. The Dutch athlete is an example and inspiration, with a remarkable tenure at the highest echelons of the sport of speed skating, which she dominated for 19 years, many more than perhaps even she herself could have imagined when she began her journey as a skater. After the last Winter Olympic Games, Ireen put an end to her illustrious sports career by closing an impressive streak of five consecutive Olympic gold medals\u2014between Turin 2006 and Beijing 2022\u2014and securing the title of world champion in all-around skating on seven occasions.<\/p>\n

When she finally retired in March 2022, thousands of fans gathered at the Thialf Arena in Heerenveen, the epicenter of Dutch skating, to pay a warm tribute to her and her compatriot Sven Kramer<\/strong><\/a>. Since then, the ice rink palace has had two curves named after them. The Netherlands’ most accomplished Olympian embarked on a new exciting journey in January 2023, when she started the Master in Coaching at Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam<\/strong><\/a> with a Telesport scholarship<\/strong>, from which she graduated successfully on November 10th.<\/p>\n

This academic training has provided her with a valuable opportunity to enhance her coaching skills. Ireen is currently leveraging her extensive years of experience to mentor athletes within the top sports and training programs at TeamNL Centrum Noord<\/a><\/strong>. At the same time, she has taken on a position at NOC*NSF<\/strong><\/a> as an expert in performance behavior and mental health<\/strong>, aiding talented athletes in their growth, particularly in areas such as resilience and self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

We had the chance to interview Ireen W\u00fcst<\/strong><\/a> regarding her role in guiding aspiring sports talents, the increasing emphasis on mental well-being<\/strong> and resilience of athletes, and how she applies her valuable knowledge and experience to enhance her current work.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Ireenw (@ireenw)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n