The Dutch team dominated at a home ISU European Speed Skating Championships last week, with Antoinette De Jong triumphing in the women’s all-round competition and Patrick Roest taking gold in the men’s event. 

Jutta Leerdam won the women's sprint title and Thomas Krol earned the men's. 

All four have remained in the Heerenveen hub to take part in the first of two World Cup contests. 

Competition is scheduled to begin tomorrow with the men and women's team pursuit and the semi-finals of the mass start. 

Both men and women will then contest the first of two 500 metre races, the 1500m and mass start finals on Saturday (January 23).

The event concludes with the second 500m and 1000m for both genders, the women's 3,000m and the men's 5,000m on Sunday (January 24). 

A second World Cup event is then scheduled for January 29 to 31. 

Athletes from Canada are expected to be the main threat to Dutch domination. 

Isabelle Weidemann should be a contender in the women's 3,000m, while 5,000m world champion Ted-Jan Bloemen is set to be the strongest endurance specialist in the men's field. 

Canada's Alex Boisvert-Lacroix, Laurent Dubreuil and Gilmore Junio will all be going for gold in the men's 500m. 

It is still unknown whether Pavel Kulizhnikov, the world record holder in the men's 500m and 1,000m, will compete in Heerenveen. 

The Russian tested positive for COVID-19 in December and did not feature at the European Championships, but has been put on the entry list for the World Cup as he continues his recovery from the illness.