Jorrit Bergsma, at 40 years old, secured a bronze medal in the 10,000-meter speed skating event at the Winter Olympics, competing against athletes approximately half his age and marking his fourth Olympic appearance.
NOS, the Dutch news outlet, reported on Bergsma’s achievement at the Milan Winter Games.
Bergsma acknowledged the strong competition from younger skaters and noted the difficulty in aiming for gold this year. Despite this, he was confident the bronze was attainable, an expectation that proved accurate as only two athletes, Jilek (19) and Semirunniy (23), posted faster times. He became the oldest male medallist in long track speed skating history with this result.
During the race, Bergsma maintained close proximity to his competitor Davide Ghiotto and overtook him at the 8,000-meter mark. He described having residual energy towards the final stretch, which allowed him to accelerate and secure third place. His coach, Jillert Anema, remarked on the tense atmosphere and praised the strategic efforts involved, especially noting the strong performances by Jilek and other contenders in the final heats.
Jilek complimented Bergsma by calling him an incredible athlete and expressed his admiration for winning a medal at the age of 40. Bergsma’s bronze added to his Olympic accolades, which include gold from 2014 and silver from 2018, completing his set of Olympic medals in the 10,000-meter event.
Throughout the season, Bergsma focused on peaking at the Olympics, and although his earlier results were moderate, including a fifth-place finish at the World Cup in Heerenveen and a second place at the Olympic qualification tournament, he delivered his best performance at the Games. Anema noted Bergsma’s strong motivation going into the Olympics and expressed confidence in his capability to perform well.
Bergsma will also compete in the mass start event and possibly the team pursuit in Milan, where his role remains subject to strategic decisions by the coaching staff, as Anema commented on the complexity of team selections.
