It was a smile that only grew after the all-round World Cup gold, this followed after two World Cup golds and two Olympic golds that completed a short but merit-wise complete career.

He did everything in just over a year, a fairy tale in skating and a piece of Swedish sports history. 

- I have tried to deal with tears of joy.

I was here with my dad and watched the all-round World Cup when I was twelve.

It's cool to win it, says van der Poel who immediately after the gold hugged father Göran and sister Hanna who in the stands got to experience the competition live in the Viking ship in Hamar which was built before the Olympics in Lillehammer 1994.

"Am quite surprised"

He crushed Patrick Roest by 44 seconds in the final 10,000 meters.

The Dutchman who went after van der Poel could afford to take a beating by 21.72 seconds but did not have a chance while the lap times crumbled.

- Even though I knew that this could happen, I am quite surprised, so incredibly redemptive but still easy, says van der Poel.

When did you start believing in victory?

- When he goes up to a four (31.4) and a five (31.5) and does it twice in a row, then we realize that he will not hold, he reflects on the race and is happy to have taken over the legend Sven Kramer's track record with over nine seconds.

Before the race, he thought the odds of succeeding in winning the gold were only 20 percent.

- It was fun to take the track record, I missed it yesterday.

I have the advantage that there were so many races in a short time because I have the recovery capacity, he says.

A career in a fairytale shimmer

van der Poel often describes his career in a fairy tale shimmer.

So even today when the circle is about to close.

- If I had written a story, no one would have bought such a good ending, van der Poel describes his career, which ends at an elite level next week with the World Cup final in Heerenveen.

It was otherwise a sprained van der Poel who came to Hamar with his double Olympic gold as a weight around his neck.

- We were not at all positive five days ago but got a jump last Friday when the ice turned out to be better than we thought.