For more information about Speed Skating in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, please check here.

Jorrit Bergsma (NED) was crowned the oldest Olympic Champion in the history of Long Track Speed Skating on Saturday. Together with Viktor Hald Thorup (DEN), the 40-year-old Dutchman broke away from the pack on the third lap of the 16-lap Mass Start race at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Bergsma left Thorup behind to finish solo, and his Danish fellow-escapee seized silver at five seconds from the winner. Andrea Giovannini (ITA) took bronze, beating Jordan Stolz (USA) in the bunch sprint. 

In the women's competition, Marijke Groenewoud (NED) lived up to expectations when she overpowered the rest of the pack with a blistering final lap. Ivanie Blondin (CAN) came in second and Mia Manganello (USA) seized bronze.

Bergsma's lucky number 13

In the first two laps of the Men’s race, Jordan Stolz (USA) was forced to take the front position as no-one else would make the pace.

The early inaction surprised Bergsma.

"After the semis, I was expecting a really hard race, and I thought the final was going to be very tough, but then nobody wanted to make the first move,” he said.

"I actually set up a half-hearted attack and no one reacted. Viktor went with me, and in no time we had half a track [advantage over the bunch], we thought it was a really good opportunity."

Jorrit Bergsma (NED) and Viktor Hald Thorup (DEN) broke away from the field after three laps © Getty Images

Thorup added: "A lap and a half, Jorrit gave me a finger behind the back, and I thought: OK, were taking turns, we're going all-in for it. Then he gave me the first sprint points and I knew we were in it for the long run."

Bergsma had enjoyed the cooperation with his fellow escapee.

"You have to keep the pace high and I was lucky that Viktor and I could take turns,” the Dutchman added.

“At some point he lost pace a little and that was when I thought: OK, a final attack and then I'll have to finish solo."

Coming onto the final straight, Bergsma had all the time in the world to wave at the crowd and celebrate even before he’d crossed the line.

"That was crazy, mind-blowing," he said. "A 40-year-old guy. It was already big for me to be here at the Olympics. One week ago my 10,000m medal [bronze] already was a big surprise.

"In the Mass Start you never know, it can go so many different ways. The semifinals were very hard, so I didn’t have a lot of confidence going into this final."

Bergsma grabbed a fan's wig - a tribute to his trademark hairstyle - to celebrate victory © Getty Images

Bergsma skated with number 13 on his helmet, a good omen, he said.

"It has been my lucky number already. In the Netherlands, I am skating marathons with leg number 13. One week ago I won a bronze medal on Friday the 13th. And today I win with number 13. It is like magic for me.

"But after this medal, my luck my have finally run out," he laughed. But the 40-year-old isn't thinking of hanging up his blades just yet.

"Four years is going to be really tough, especially with the young guys coming up on the single distances. I will see by year by year, but I am not done yet."

A Danish first in Milan

Thorup won Denmark's first medal at Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. 

An emotional Thorup celebrates winning Denmark's first Winter Olympics medal in 28 years © Getty Images

“We never really have any medals at the Winter Games [the only previous Danish Winter Olympics Medal was silver in women's curling in Nagano 1998], so I'm happy to prove that it's possible if you're crazy enough to try,” he said.

"I try not to put too much into it, identity or self-worth, but I think I'll hang it at home and let that be my diploma of 25 years of great service in the sport.

"Everybody fought hard to be here, but I think I had the least straightforward road. I almost got more emotional doing all these interviews. I did interviews in six different languages that made me realize I left Denmark when I was 15. I haven't really lived there for 16 years. Just chased that dream whenever I got the opportunity."

Giovannini’s solo success

Giovannini was happy to come away with a medal after he had to battle it out on his own in the final, because his team-mate Daniele Di Stefano (ITA) had not been able to qualify for the final.  

"He had the flu, unfortunately," Giovannini explained. Jordan Stolz (USA) had also be alone in the final, because Ethan Cepuran (USA) fell short in the semifinals. 

With the Italian and the American sprint favorites sitting alone in the final, only Belgium, with favorite Bart Swings (BEL) and Indra Médard (BEL) could attempt a half-hearted chase behind Bergsma and Thorup, but the effort came too late.

Andrea Giovannini (ITA) joined Thorup and Bergsma on the podium to collect his bronze © Getty Images

Giovannini had already committed to a sprint for the bronze with Stolz. 

"I was the only one from Italy, so I knew it wasn't easy to control the race. So that's it, we stayed in the group and went for the final sprint with Stolz,” he explained.

"I was very happy with my speed and especially being able to beat Jordan [in the final sprint]. This medal means gold for me."

Stolz, who ended up in fourth place, left the rink without any regrets. He reflected on a mostly successful Olympic experience.

"I thought it was pretty successful. Two golden medals [500m and 1000m] and a silver [in the 1500m]. It's pretty good. There's some things that could have been better, but overall, I'm pretty happy,” he said.

Gold medal and a silver ring

Watching teammate Bergsma win gold inspired Marijke Groenewoud (NED) ahead of the Women’s Mass Start. 

"When I saw him win, I was really stoked. I gave him a hug on the infield,” she said.

“People told me to concentrate on my own race, but I just needed to give him a hug, and then I thought: I have to turn this into something positive."

Marijke Groenewoud, inspired by teammate Bergsma, crosses the line to win Mass Start gold © Getty Images

During the fast-paced women's race, no one managed to escape, and Groenewoud's team-mate Bente Kerkhoff (NED) set her up for the sprint perfectly.

On the penultimate straight, Groenewoud powered away from the field, immediately taking a 10-meter gap, which no one was able to bridge in the last 400m.

Groenewoud, right, and Bente Kerkhoff, left, who set her up for the sprint, wave the Dutch flag © Getty Images

After the race, Groenewoud got an extra surprise, because her fiancé proposed to her when she got off the podium. 

Asked what had had made her happier, the gold medal or the silver ring she received from her fiancé, Groenewoud was diplomatic.

"People already asked me a couple of times. I'm happy with both. I won Olympic gold today, so I go home with a gold medal and a silver ring. It couldn't be better,” she said.

Blondin and Manganello bid farewell to the ice

Behind Groenewoud, Ivanie Blondin (CAN) and Mia Manganello (USA) sprinted to silver and bronze. For both athletes the Olympic Mass Start was a farewell to the ice. Both had thoroughly enjoyed the competition with Groenewoud. 

"We're competitors on ice, but we're able to leave it on the ice,” said Manganello. 

“I've known both of these girls [Groenewoud and Blondin] for quite some time now, and I know them to be amazing competitors, but also really great people, which makes it easy to be friends off the ice and want to kill each other on the ice."

Mia Manganello (USA) put the seal on her Speed Skating career with the bronze medal © Getty Images

Manganello won her first individual Olympic medal after already having won a Team Pursuit bronze in PyengChang 2018.

"Crossing the line was pretty good," she said. "I really want to watch the replay, freak out a little bit.

"It's a phenomenal achievement. For it to be my last race of my career, that just makes it that much better. I had peace of mind going into this race. Medal or not, I would be okay with it. To come out with a medal, I just have no words."

Silver medalist Ivanie Blondin (CAN) joins her fellow medalists for a podium selfie © Getty Images

Blondin also looked back on a great journey on the ice. She had already won gold in the Team Pursuit and silver in the Mass Start four years ago in Beijing, and repeated that feat in Milan.

"I am just happy to be on the podium at this point,” she said.

“This is the end of my Olympic chapter, my last Olympic race for sure. So, I am just happy to get back on the podium and have fun with it.

"If I look back at my entire career, I would say that it was defined with grit. Every single time that I failed, I just got back up and pulled myself through again. So that is kind of what it means to me."

While she is hanging up her blades, Blondin's career as an athlete is not over yet. The 35-year-old Canadian wants to turn her attention to bike racing.