Viktor Hald Thorup made history for Denmark by winning the country’s first individual medal at the Winter Olympic Games, securing silver in the men’s mass start speed skating event.
At the Winter Olympics in Milan, Hald Thorup established an early breakaway alongside Dutch skater Jorrit Bergsma, a move that ultimately determined the outcome of the race. The pair shared points during the intermediate sprints and maintained a lead over the main group throughout, with the peloton unable to close the gap in time to challenge for the podium.
In the final laps, Bergsma pulled ahead to claim gold, while Hald Thorup secured silver. The bronze medal was earned by Italian skater Andrea Giovannini. Earlier that day, Hald Thorup advanced to the final after finishing eighth in his semifinal, underscoring a remarkable day of competition.
This silver medal marks only the second Winter Olympic medal for Denmark, the first being a curling team silver won by Helena Blach Lavrsen and her team in Nagano in 1998. At 31 years old, Hald Thorup’s achievement represents a significant milestone for Danish winter sports, which had seen more modest results prior to this event.
Leading up to this success, Hald Thorup faced physical challenges, including withdrawing early from a 10,000-meter race the previous week due to health issues involving constipation, which affected several days of his training. Despite this, he had previously attained the best Danish individual Olympic placement by finishing fifth in the mass start at Pyeongchang in 2018 and later competed in Beijing in 2022 with a 19th place in the 5000 meters.
Denmark’s presence on the Winter Olympic medal list now joins 29 other countries that have medaled at this year’s games in Italy, highlighting the expanding reach of winter sports internationally.
