Japanese speed skater Miho Takagi is preparing to defend her 1000m Olympic title at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, facing strong competition from Dutch skaters Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok, as well as American Brittany Bowe in her final Olympic appearance.
ISU Skating, the International Skating Union’s official news outlet based in Switzerland, provides detailed coverage of the upcoming race and athlete profiles.
Leerdam enters the competition confident after winning three out of four World Cup races this season, including a recent victory in Inzell, Germany. The Dutch skater, who earned silver in the 1000m at the 2022 Beijing Olympics behind Takagi, said the recent win boosted her confidence for Milan. She emphasized her pursuit of an intense racing feeling and highlighted the relative ease of her speed development this season. Kok, also from the Netherlands and the favorite in the 500m event, has claimed a World Cup victory in the 1000m as well but finished third behind Leerdam and Takagi in the last World Cup race.
Miho Takagi, now the most experienced Olympian among the women competing in the 1000m and with an Olympic career starting in 2010, views speed skating as an ongoing quest for perfection. Although she has not found the perfect form this season, Takagi shared her approach to maintaining balance between control and speed. Four days before the event, she expressed a need to adjust her mindset toward a more aggressive and fiery approach to bring out her maximum speed, acknowledging that victory requires pushing beyond calm and controlled skating.
American Brittany Bowe, a six-time world champion and bronze medalist in the 1000m at the 2022 Games, is aiming to conclude her Olympic career with another podium finish. At 37, Bowe highlighted her consistent performance throughout the year, often finishing in the top five. She emphasized focusing on enjoying her final Olympic competition rather than fixating on the outcome, noting the importance of controlling her mindset.
The race will take place at 17:30 on Monday, 9 February 2026, at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, with 30 skaters from 15 delegations competing. Current records relevant to the event include Brittany Bowe’s world record of 1:11.61 set in 2019, Miho Takagi’s Olympic record of 1:13.19 from 2022, and Bowe’s 2026 track record of 1:16.37 achieved earlier this season.
