I am Michiel Wienese, a 44 year old civil engineer and entrepreneurial person from Amsterdam with a huge interest in Wintersports on high level. My discipline is speedskating on ice, like it is our national pride where the Dutch obtain most of their Olympic medals. It’s an individual sport, but I have made a lot of friends by participating. National and international friends.

I started speedskating when I was 4 years old on natural ice near Amsterdam. I remember an important day of my life skating with my father, an Olympic Champion rowing (Mexico 1968), that day in February 1983 nearly 18km without using his hand. It was freezing cold, minus 6 degrees so my father skated away towards the horizon. I learned to suffer that day during sports and to make a comeback when I had the wind in the back. It changed my life, learning already back then to trust on myself and to suprise yourself of what you are capable in life. Come on, 17km for a 4 year old. I am so proud on ‘the little me’ feeling like a Rocket Man (Elton John)

My grandfather (mothers side) was fond of watching speedskating on television. Together with him I watched the Olympics and European Championships. For some kind of reason we loved the Norwegian Johann Olav Koss, and we were fan of Tommy Gustafson (Sweden). Those men seem to have incredible power and indurance, they became action hero’s to me. It’s so great that I had the opportunity as a speedskating manager of a team to meet Johann Olav Koss in the Netherlands in 2012. It was immediately the passion for skating that connected us. We are still in contact and he is following the rise of WWMG now!

My passion for racing started when I was 15 years old in Amsterdam starting the 500 and 1500m, 5 years behind of the selection. That passion untill today, never faded. The feeling of gliding on the ice, the wind blowing, your body warming up in the cold, it’s uncomparable to anything. My enterpreneurial side in combination with my passion for speedskating has resulted in scouting skating talent that nowadays are real Olympic champion like Irene Schouten. I got inspired by their training ethos, so scouting them was also about getting to know who I am as a skater. I am more an epicurean (loving food and party) then the pro athletes, so WWMG is the ideal match with my character and ambitions in life.

I come to Lombardia for WWMG as a friend of Italy, as a Defender of my title having won the 2020 Innsbruck WWMG edition on the 3.000m distance and as a father of a small family with Kai 2,5y and my wife Roos joining me. I hope for Kai, my son, seeing all this sports will inspire him and enchant him the same way as I was enchanted when I had that age. Snow , ice, it’s so romantic. I am hopeless romantic (for a guy ) . Italy is the country for romance.
This time we will come with a team of about 85 Dutch athletes , a huge group. I hope other countries will do the same and together we will create an example for others how to build an epic sports event across borders.

Going to Innsbruck 2020 was pioneering, the WWMG was at least in my country not so known as it is now. I just met Roosmarijn and we were just by ourselves back then, so it was easier to plan then now at WWMG2024 with a child. When after the 500m, I had the epic moment in my life of beating all the competition, winning the Gold on 3.000m. Later also silver on 1.500 and bronze on 1.000m. Those medals are ‘recognized by IOC”, I was over the moon being able to have that blast at 40 years old in the automn one might say of a sport career.

I won’t lie telling you that the last couple of years with a growing up baby together with a nearly fulltime job and semi professional skating has challenged me to the max. But it’s worth it and WWMG has conquered my mind and soul as a horizon every 4 years to train for. I hope one day this event will have the same reputation as the normal Olympics, it should be because it is so necessary to do your best to stay healthy and fit specially after 30years old. I hope governments, media but also maybe companies (Sponsorships) will support us as new rolemodels inspiring younger generations that doing sports at top level is something you can continue with and brings you a lot of value, friendships, skills. It’s the Sports for live-concept. Investments you make in your passion, are never gone.

Our speedskating event will take place on natural ice again, again 40 years after skating with my father in the cold wind, we will have to face temperatures of minus 10 degrees at Lago Palu near Chiesa in Valmalenco. It will feel like a huge adventure, that’s totally my way, a sportif adventurer that has a need to sometimes challenge my comfortzone and to find peace in romance. Come by and see us, we will shake hands and inspire eachother!