Hein Vergeer was a dominant allround skater, but after recovering from an injury, he was never able to reach that same level again.

He had also competed in those same three distances at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo four years earlier, but did not do much better than with a tenth place as his best result.

Both skaters used to train at the skating club STV Lekstreek.

Back in the days of Vergeer's dominance, speed skating was not very lucrative, so Vergeer did what many other top skaters in those days did – he used his fame as a stepping stone to a career in marketing and communication.

In 2006 and 2007, Vergeer participated in the Holiday on Ice show called Fantasy.