Norwegian speed skater Ragne Wiklund won her second silver medal at the Winter Olympics, narrowly missing gold in the 1500 meters by just six hundredths of a second.
VG, Norway, reports that Wiklund, 25, became the first Norwegian woman to win three Olympic medals in speed skating during these games.
Wiklund expressed satisfaction with her performance, stating that she had achieved her initial goals entering the competition, and considered the silver medal a bonus. Despite the narrow margin, she admitted to feeling some disappointment as the gold was missed by only six hundredths of a second. The gold medal was claimed by Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong, a close friend within the skating community.
NRK commentator Even Wetten described the race outcome as a matter of fine margins, citing a slight imbalance from Wiklund on the final stretch as a potential factor. Wiklund acknowledged fatigue as a factor in the final moments. Her father, Jo Wiklund, highlighted that the difference was minimal and noted some racing dynamics, such as Rijpma-de Jong having the advantage of skating behind two opponents in the longer stretches, whereas Wiklund had only one.
Earlier in the Olympics, Wiklund had narrowly missed gold in the 5000 meters by 17 hundredths of a second, finishing behind Francesca Lollobrigida. Together, these results place Wiklund within 23 hundredths of a second from two Olympic golds. She reflected that this race felt less bitter than the previous near miss due to the better execution during the event.
The 25-year-old Oslo native is now the first Norwegian skater, regardless of gender, to win three medals in a single Winter Olympics since Johann Olav Koss achieved three golds in 1994. Wiklund’s collection from these Games includes two silver medals and one bronze, a record she takes pride in without regret. She also emphasized that she intended to enjoy the experience, which she successfully accomplished.
Pre-competition assessments had considered Wiklund a strong medal contender in the 1500 meters. The favorite was Japanese skater Miho Takagi, who holds the world record but finished sixth after an unsuccessful final pairing. Dutch contender Femke Kok, another potential gold medalist, skated an early time of 1.54.76, placing fifth overall.
The competition saw Canadian Valerie Maltais briefly take the lead with a time of 1.54.40 before Wiklund surpassed it with 1.54.15. Other notable performances included Norway’s Aurora Grinden Løvås, who finished 25th, and in the men’s 1500 meters event, Chinese skater Zhongyan Ning won gold, beating the favorite Jordan Stolz from the USA. Norwegian Peder Kongshaug placed sixth.
Notably, Dutch skater Joy Beune, despite winning all four World Cup 1500-meter races this season, did not qualify for her country’s Olympic team in this event.
