sports
February 21, 2026
SPEED SKATING: Gold medal in mass start for 40-year-old Jorrit Bergsma at the Milan Winter Olympics
Second to finish was complete outsider Viktor Thorup of Denmark (8:00.52 minutes), and third place and the bronze medal went to Italy's Andrea Giovannini (8:04.42). Fourth was young American Jordan Stolz, Swings finished only ninth.
TL;DR
- Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the speed skating mass start event.
- Bergsma, at 40 years old, is now the oldest gold medalist in Winter Olympic history.
- The race involved a tactical approach, with most skaters maintaining a slow pace, allowing Bergsma and Viktor Thorup to form a breakaway.
- Thorup finished second, and Andrea Giovannini took third place.
- Bart Swings, the previous gold medalist, finished ninth.
- Points are awarded at specific laps, but the finish order is paramount for the top three positions.
- The mass start format rewards sprinters with strong finishes, not just long-distance specialists.
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