Alida van Daalen walks through the Youth Olympic Park in Buenos Aires with her accreditation ribbon full of pins. The 16-year-old discus thrower from Rotterdam does what almost every athlete, volunteer or other person involved in the event does: exchange and collect pins from different countries.
Van Daalen does not just want to have a pin in Argentina, there are other goals. A medal in the discus throw and gaining experience at a major event. She is considered a great talent and is among the best three in the world in her age category. “That’s why I also want to get into the top three here,” is her clear goal. She is the daughter of Jacqueline Goormachtigh, who is also her coach. Goormachtigh competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“That’s a full circle. I’ve compete at an Olympic Games and now my daughter is at the Youth Olympics. I want her to enjoy her life at the top level. It’s so nice to be here!” Van Daalen thinks the same way. “I have never been outside Europe. This is a super cool and totally new experience for me. Representing my country with all those other athletes. Very nice.”
But the drive that Van Daalen has (and which mother Goormachtigh sometimes lacked in her own career), ensures that it is not only the intention to return from Argentina with a bag full of experience, but that there is also a medal in that same bag. However, she did not succeed. Van Daalen had problems with her back in training and is struggling with the special competition format in Buenos Aires. There is no final, there is just two days of throwing. The best attempts of those two days are averaged.
Thursday didn’t go well. “Normally I get into a flow when the match is going, so I can calmly qualify for the final first. And then I’m throwing my best distances. Now, it was very different and I couldn’t handle it all very well.” A lesser first day ensures that no medal is achieved. On the second day she threw her second best distance ever with 53.07 and finished third.
“I showed with that distance that I belong to the best, I don’t need proof for that. That medal will come at the real Olympic Games!”