Skating Career
In the 2007 season she made her World Cup debut in Moscow.
In the 2008 season she skated a junior world record in the 1500 meters at the World Cup in Salt Lake City. Later this season she qualified for the European Championships and ranked 6th after all four distances. With this result she qualified for the World Allround. At the World Allround Championships in Berlin she placed 12th after four distances. In February 2008, Leenstra was crowned the World Junior Speed Skating Champion in Changchun, China. At the end of the season in March 2008 she improved the junior world records on the 1000 and 1500 meters and the mini combination. The latter two are still current junior world records.
In the 2009 season Marrit Leenstra did not qualify for the European Championships, World Sprint Championships or World Allround Championships, however she did qualify for the World Single Distance Championships in the 1500 metres where she finisht tenth.
After a disappointing 2010 season, where she failed to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics, she had a breakthrough 2011 season. Leenstra won the Dutch Allround Championships and placed third in the European Championships and fourth in the World Allround Championships. Also she placed fourth in the World Single Distances at the 1000 meters, second in the World Single Distances at the team pursuit and second in the World Cup standings for the 1500 meters, including a World Cup win in Salt Lake City.
Read more about this topic: Marrit Leenstra (speed Skater)
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