Jorrit Bergsma (NED) won his first World Cup medal a little over a week before Lim Leewon (KOR) and Cho Seungmin (KOR) celebrated their third birthdays. Meet the oldest long-track speed skater at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, and the two youngest, who happen to have been born on the same day.

The oldest: Jorrit Bergsma

Three weeks after Jorrit Bergsma, pictured above, was born on 1 February 1986 in Aldeboarn, Fryslân, the famous Elfstedentocht was held in the northern Dutch province - a seldom-staged 200km race on natural ice that has been held only 15 times since its first running in 1909.

Speed skating is in 40-year-old Bergsma's DNA. His first steps on skates were on natural ice, and at age seven he started skating indoors at the historic Thialf ice rink in nearby Heerenveen. Bergsma has been on the international speed skating circuit since the 2010/11 season, and he took his first World Cup medal (a 5000m bronze) on 27 November 2010.

Jorrit Bergsma (NED) shows off the ISU World Cup Mass Start Trophy for 2025/26. The 40-year-old will contest the race in Milan © ISU

In 2014 Bergsma made his Olympic debut in Sochi, seizing 5000m bronze before beating legendary countryman Sven Kramer (NED) to take 10,000m gold. At the 2018 Olympic Games Bergsma won 10,000m silver in Gangneung and four years ago in Beijng he finished 5th in the 5000m, 4th in the 10,000m and 9th in the Mass Start.

A long-distance specialist, Bergsma won a total of three 10,000m World titles and the World Mass Start title in the 2019/20 season, and just last month the Dutchman won the Mass Start World Cup Trophy. In Milan he will skate the 5000m, 10,000m, Mass Start and possibly the Team Pursuit.

The youngest: Lim Leewon & Cho Seungmin

Lim Leewon (KOR) and Cho Seungmin (KOR) were both born on 6 December 2007, which means that the 18-year-olds are still eligible for the junior ranks in long-track speed skating. In total there are seven junior skaters competing in Milan: apart from Lim and Cho these are Finn Sonnekalb (GER), Jeannine Rosner (AUT), Tai Zhien (CHN), Violette Braun (FRA) and Hanbin Liu (CHN).

Lim first made a name for herself internationally in the 2023/24 Junior World Cup season, taking a bronze medal in the 3000m at the second Junior World Cup in Collalbo on 2 December 2023. She came second in last season's Junior World Cup Mass Start ranking, winning the second race in Tomaszów Mazowiecki.

Lim Leewon (KOR) competes in the Team Sprint at the World Junior Speed Skating Championships at Collalbo (ITA) in February 2025 © ISU

Lim also participated in the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, finishing 6th in the 1500m and 8th in the 500m. This season, making her senior World Cup debut, she finished 22nd in the Mass Start ranking and in Milan she will compete in the Mass Start event.

Cho will also skate the Mass Start in Milan. He first hit the international long-track scene coming in fourth at the first Junior World Cup event of the 2023/24 season in Baselga di Piné. This season, also his senior debut year, Cho finished 23rd in the World Cup ranking.

Seungmin Cho (KOR) skates the 1500m at the ISU Junior World Cup in Trento (ITA) in November 2023 © ISU

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