{"id":24714,"date":"2026-02-21T15:16:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T20:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/40-year-old-dutch-skater-wins-olympic-gold-eyes-2030-games-at-age-44\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T15:16:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T20:16:51","slug":"40-year-old-dutch-skater-wins-olympic-gold-eyes-2030-games-at-age-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/40-year-old-dutch-skater-wins-olympic-gold-eyes-2030-games-at-age-44\/","title":{"rendered":"40-Year-Old Dutch Skater Wins Olympic Gold, Eyes 2030 Games at Age 44"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

At 40 years old, most athletes have long since hung up their competitive gear, but Dutch speed skater Jorrit Bergsma proved age is just a number when he captured Olympic gold in Milan on Saturday.<\/p>

The veteran competitor shocked the field during the men’s mass start competition, executing a bold strategy alongside Denmark’s Viktor Hald Thorup with a surprise attack during the third lap of the 16-lap event.<\/p>

“I do not know yet if I will be back in four years, but now I guess I have to defend my title, right?” Bergsma said after his stunning victory.<\/p>

The pair quickly established a substantial advantage over their competitors – at times leading by more than half a lap – while the remaining skaters failed to mount an immediate response. With just a few laps remaining, Bergsma made his decisive move, pulling away from Thorup to secure the win.<\/p>

“I do not think I realise just yet what I have done. I even had to pinch myself when I was standing on the podium,” the champion reflected.<\/p>

Looking ahead to the 2030 Winter Olympics, when he would be 44, Bergsma acknowledged the challenges but remained optimistic about his future in the sport.<\/p>

“Four years is going to be really tough, especially with the young guys coming up on the single distances. I will see year by year, but I am not done yet,” he stated.<\/p>

This latest achievement enhances Bergsma’s already impressive Olympic collection, which features his 10,000m championship from Sochi 2014, a silver medal from Pyeongchang 2018, and bronze medals in the 5,000m at Sochi and 10,000m at Milano Cortina.<\/p>

“I had already won bronze, so my Olympic Games were already complete, but to be standing here with a gold medal as a 40-year-old guy is a privilege, even more so that I managed to do it in the mass start. I did not expect this at all,” Bergsma explained.<\/p>

The number 13 played a special role in Bergsma’s success story. He competed wearing helmet number 13, having previously earned his 10,000m bronze medal on February 13.<\/p>

“It has been my lucky number already. In the Netherlands, I am skating marathons with leg number 13. One week ago I won a bronze medal on Friday the 13th. And today I win with number 13. It is like magic for me,” he revealed.<\/p>

In a remarkable coincidence, Bergsma’s February 1st birthday would align perfectly with the opening ceremony of the 2030 Winter Olympics, should he decide to extend his career for another Olympic cycle.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dutch speed skater Jorrit Bergsma defied age expectations by capturing Olympic gold in Milan at 40 years old. The veteran athlete made a bold tactical move in the final laps to secure victory in the men’s mass start race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":24713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771705010708.jpg?fit=450%2C292&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-6qC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24730,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/dutch-speed-skaters-dominate-final-olympic-races-in-milano-cortina\/","url_meta":{"origin":24714,"position":0},"title":"Dutch Speed Skaters Dominate Final Olympic Races in Milano Cortina","author":"Admin","date":"February 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"At age 40, Dutch speed skater Jorrit Bergsma captured his second Olympic gold medal in the men's mass start race. 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