JORRIT BERGSMA, 40, BECOMES OLDEST OLYMPIC SPEEDSKATING GOLD MEDALIST. (PHOTO).

 Jorrit Bergsma, 40, becomes oldest Olympic speedskating gold medalist

  At the Milan Cortina Games, Jorrit Bergsma turned the men’s mass start into a celebration long before he crossed the finish line. Gliding down the backstretch with a commanding lead, the 40-year-old Dutch skater stretched his arms wide, blew kisses toward a sea of orange-clad supporters, and applauded fans sporting mullet wigs in tribute to his signature hairstyle. With no one close enough to threaten him over the final laps of the 16-lap race, Bergsma had the rare luxury of savoring the final moments of an Olympic victory in real time. When he finally secured gold, he became the oldest long track speedskating Olympic champion in history, a milestone he later described as both “unbelievable” and completely unexpected.

Bergsma shattered longevity marks that had stood for generations. The previous oldest Olympic long track champion was Ireen Wüst, who was 35 when she won gold in the 1,500 meters in 2022, and the men’s record had endured for nearly a century. In Milan, Bergsma made his decisive move early, breaking away with Denmark’s Viktor Hald Thorup before skating clear of him to win comfortably. American standout Jordan Stolz, 21, who had already collected two golds and a silver at these Games, finished fourth and expressed amazement that the main pack never organized a serious chase. Stolz’s coach, Bob Corby, called the performance phenomenal.

For Bergsma, the victory adds to a decorated Olympic résumé that includes gold in the 10,000 meters and bronze in the 5,000 at Sochi in 2014, plus a silver in the 10,000 in 2018 and another bronze at that distance in Milan. Fellow American Mia Manganello, 36, who earned bronze in the women’s mass start behind the Netherlands’ Marijke Groenewoud, praised Bergsma’s achievement as proof of the sport’s longevity and maturity, joking that she hoped her coach wouldn’t use his triumph at 40 as motivation to extend her own career.