By Pearl Josephine Nazare
MILAN, – Jorrit Bergsma turned back the clock to claim men’s mass start gold at the Milano Cortina Games on Saturday, securing the second Olympic title of his career at the age of 40, while Marijke Groenewoud triumphed in the women’s race for a Dutch double.
As Bergsma approached the final straight, he allowed himself a smile, urging the crowd on with outstretched arms. He celebrated before even crossing the line – pumping both fists, clapping, and soaking in the energy of the roaring arena.
The stands inside the Milano Speed Skating Stadium were once again dominated by orange‑clad Dutch fans, including Bergsma supporters wearing matching headbands and mullet hairstyles.
With the two mass start races bringing the speed skating programme to a close, the Netherlands finished Milano Cortina with five gold medals in the sport, the most of any nation at these Games.
Dane Viktor Hald Thorup claimed silver in the men’s race for his country’s only second ever Winter Olympics medal, while Italy’s Andrea Giovannini delighted home fans with bronze.
In the women’s event, Canada’s Ivanie Blondin secured silver – matching her Beijing 2022 result – while the United States’ Mia Manganello claimed bronze.
DARING ATTACK
Bergsma and Thorup stunned the field with a daring attack on the third lap of the 16-lap men’s race. The duo quickly built a commanding lead – at one point over half a lap – as the pack hesitated to respond.
Sensing his moment, Bergsma launched another blistering move with a couple of laps to go, decisively shaking off Thorup.
Bergsma’s win adds to an exceptional Olympic resume that includes 10,000m gold at Sochi 2014, silver at Pyeongchang 2018, bronzes in the 5,000m at Sochi and 10,000m at Milano Cortina.
“That was crazy, mind-blowing,” Bergsma said. “I was expecting a really hard final, but nobody wanted to do the first attack. I did it. I had a gap together with Viktor and that was it.
“We had a gap in no time, and then I knew, ‘okay, I have a big, big chance right now’. I just wanted to keep the gap with the peloton and keep the speed in it a bit. I had to keep my cool and finish it.”
The emotional scenes continued behind Bergsma, with Thorup reduced to tears after securing a historic medal for Denmark.
Meanwhile, Bart Swings’ title defence ended in disappointment. The 35-year-old Belgian, who captured his country’s first Winter Olympic gold in 74 years at Beijing 2022, was unable to challenge after being caught out by the early break. He finished ninth.
American sensation Jordan Stolz, the Olympic 500m and 1,000m champion, finished fourth.
‘DREAM COME TRUE’ FOR GROENEWOUD
With Dutch great Irene Schouten now retired, the women’s mass start entered Milano Cortina without its Olympic champion – but Groenewoud arrived as the woman to beat, having come in as the reigning world champion.
The women’s race proved to be a much tighter affair than the men’s.
Groenewoud, 27, timed her final-lap surge to perfection, powering clear to claim her first Olympic gold. She held off late charges from Manganello and Blondin before crossing the line with her arm outstretched and a radiant smile.
“Maybe it brought some more pressure on my shoulders, but there was also a lot of energy I got out of it. It’s nice to see your teammate win. Then you have to do it yourself, too,” Groenewoud said.
“I got the gold. I stood up and thought, ‘this mass start is my mass start and I did it’. It’s a dream come true. As a child I dreamed of Olympic gold and now I got it.”
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
