Joy Beune thoroughly enjoyed the tribute that the municipality of Borne and the Born Skating and Skeeler Club had in store for her on Wednesday, April 3. The multiple world champion, who currently lives in Heerenveen, was honored at the town hall.
Having already captured the world titles in the 5000 meters and with the national pursuit team earlier this year in Calgary, Canada, the Borne -born Joy Beune experienced her dream weekend on March 9 and 10. In Inzell, Germany, she convincingly took first place in the World All-Around Championships, winning the 3000, 1500 and 5000 meters consecutively. Enough reason to honor her in her hometown.
She looked back gratefully afterwards. “Super special that my old club organized this and that you get the feeling that you are an example for young kids and inspire them. I can really get a little emotional about that. Then you are still a little bit that little girl from the past again.”
The foundation for her sports career was laid in elementary school. “I do think it had a lot of influence, that you could do a lot of sports from childhood. At some point I started to like skating and in the summer I did other things like cycling, rollerblading and dry and strength training. Through the club, I joined the Ice Racing Team and then selections. Later I trained twice a day at the Regional Talent Center East and started investing a lot in myself, also in technique.”
Borns BijtjeEighteen years old, she was when she became world junior champion in 2018 in Salt Lake City, USA, by, among other things, winning the last three distances with world records to her name. It earned her the Borns Bijtje at the time. “But,” she confesses, “when I switched from juniors to seniors, I never had any idea that I would achieve what I have achieved now.”
She owes the unprecedented progression in her performance in no small part to her move to Team IKO. “That one worked out very well. Within two years it yielded several titles. I attribute that mainly to a different way of training that I really like and through which I also got to know myself better. I also get a lot of mental help. I have created a kind of bubble for myself in the meantime, so that things from outside don’t throw me off balance so quickly anymore.”
Joy Beune is well aware that one swallow does not make a summer and past results are no guarantee for the future. Reflections on her chances at the 2026 Winter Olympics are wasted on her, although she is already being tipped as a likely successor to such vedettes as Marianne Timmer, Ireen Wüst, Irene Schouten and not to mention her own friend Kjeld Nuis.
For the guests, there were pastries with a picture of Joy Beun on them. “Next year I just have to make sure, that I earn my starting places for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. I’m definitely working on that. Because the better I perform, the more likely I am to go. My performance does create expectations that I will get that job done. That in itself is quite laughable, but you still have to do it all first. Though of course this gives motivation and also confidence that it can be done.”
Thanks to familyIn the civic hall of City Hall, Joy Beune was welcomed by Mayor Jan Pierik.In his opening remarks, he included her parents Diane and Edwin, who received a bouquet of flowers. “Athletes who perform at the top owe a lot to the family in which they grew up. Without their support and enthusiasm, it would have been a lot more complicated for our champions. And with all the appreciation, which we also have for our well-organized associations, the facilitating municipality and the nurturing and supportive families, the champions themselves have to live up to it and make unprecedented efforts to do so.”
Pierik continued, “They accept a life of very high discipline and denials, come to mental and psychological limits at a young age that many of us rarely face. They have to accept that everyone thinks something of them, at great moments but especially when things are not going so well for a while. Then the media and socials are hell. They often go a long way before they arrive at the moments of glory. But when those moments are there, it is more than right that we show how much we appreciate their achievement.”
And to Joy Beune personally, “With this large and festive turnout, we want to show you how much we as a municipality and community Borne admire your accomplishments. We are happy to have you as a role model for our youth, and as residents we walk around apetrically with even more self-confidence, almost as if we ourselves have delivered the achievementsThe mayor then presented Joy Beune with a beautiful glass trophy, crafted especially in the blue and yellow of Borne by local artist Marijke Kuiphuis, who runs a gallery in Ootmarsum.
Vera Kroeze and two young members of the local skating and rollerblading club, which was especially present with many youth, also addressed Joy Beune with many words of praise. The club put together a nice video, in which several members showed their admiration for the successful skater.
Before the meeting, Joy Beune was also welcomed atmospherically at the town hall, among others, by the T’is Ma Waj Went Band from Zenderen (photo below).
