Although as mentioned, van Empel was way ahead in the distance, the battle for silver between Brand and
Puck Pieterse was much more exciting. “In the beginning, Puck got ahead of me a bit, then I just tried to keep my own rhythm," she explains. "Suddenly she had a bad part. Then I could get on and ahead and I thought: now I have to move on.”
For Brand it's a much sweeter feeling than the last time she raced in Tabor. “When I broke my hand here in Tábor, it was all worthless. Lots of ups and downs, it wasn't always pleasant at home. But I'm glad that somewhere inside I was able to find the confidence and continue to believe in it.”