A 40-year-old Jorrit Bergsma becomes the oldest Olympic speedskating gold medalist
MILAN — Jorrit Bergsma spread his arms wide down the backstretch of speedskating’s mass start event at the Milan Cortina Games. He blew kisses to the loud Dutch fans shouting in their orange outfits and wearing their mullet wigs to match his hairstyle. He even applauded right back at them. A 40-year-old Jorrit Bergsma becomes the oldest Olympic speedskating gold medalist Bergsma was so far ahead of everyone else Saturday that he was able to really enjoy and celebrate becoming, at 40, by far the oldest long track speedskating gold medalist in Olympic history. “Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” Bergsma said later, his medal hanging from his neck. “I’m a 40-year-old guy. … It is crazy. This one was really unexpected.” The oldest previous Olympic champion in long track was Ireen Wust, who was 35 when she won the 1,500 meters for Netherlands at the 2022 Beijing Games. The record for oldest man had stood for nearly a century: It belonged to Clas Thunberg, who was 34 when he won the 1,500 for Finland at the 1928 St. …
