Sander Eitrem of Norway secured the gold medal in the men’s 5,000 meter speed skating event at the Winter Olympics, while Dutch skaters did not place on the podium after the first two distances.
According to NOS, the Dutch team struggled in the men’s 5,000 meter race, with Chris Huizinga finishing as the highest-ranked Dutch athlete in seventh place with a time of 6:11.58. The gold medal went to Norway’s Sander Eitrem, who crossed the finish line in 6:03.95, setting a new Olympic record in the process.
Throughout the current season, Dutch skaters have underperformed on the 5,000 meter distance, with the best World Cup result being a fifth-place finish by Huizinga. Stijn van de Bunt ranked ninth with a time of 6:12.94, while Tijmen Bosker placed twelfth in 6:17.47. Eitrem entered the Olympics as the favorite after breaking the world record two weeks earlier, and he continued that strong form in Milan. The 23-year-old, who is also the reigning world champion at 5,000 meters, is making his Olympic debut and will also compete in the 10,000 and 1,500 meter events later in the Games.
The level of competition in the 5,000 meters this season has been notably high, with the world record broken twice. In November, French skater Timothy Loubineaud narrowly missed a sub-six-minute time at 6:00.23, while Eitrem became the first to skate the distance in under six minutes with a time of 5:58.52. Young Czech competitor Metodej Jilek, aged 19, has emerged as a serious contender this season by winning a World Cup race in Hamar and taking silver medals in Inzell and Salt Lake City.
Early in the race, Italian skater Davide Ghiotto, another medal hopeful, finished just off the podium in fourth place with a time of 6:09.57. The decisive moment came in the penultimate pair between Jilek and Eitrem. Despite a shaky start where Eitrem briefly stumbled, he quickly recovered and maintained pace alongside Jilek. Eitrem accelerated in the latter part of the race, eventually pulling ahead as Jilek faded two laps before the finish. Loubineaud, in the final pair, was unable to challenge the leaders and finished fifth in 6:11.15.
Tijmen Bosker, in his second Olympic appearance, started the competition with a weaker performance, unable to keep up with the younger German skater Gabriel Gross. Stijn van de Bunt put in a strong and steady performance after Bosker but was surpassed as the competition progressed. The Italian Riccardo Lorello set a fast time of 6:09.22, which held up for a while before being overtaken by both Eitrem and Jilek. Huizinga maintained a stable race but was also unable to challenge for a medal as the top favorites finished ahead of him.
