Dutch woman celebrates first Olympic victory

The Netherlands have won another gold medal in speed skating. Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong was crowned Olympic champion in the women's 1500 meters.

February 20, 2026

From: dpa

In the absence of her teammate Jutta Leerdam, Dutch speed skater Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong won gold in the 1.500 meters at the Olympic Games in Italy. In a thrilling competition, the 30-year-old prevailed over Norway's Ragne Wiklund by just six hundredths of a second, finishing in 1:54,09. Valérie Maltais of Canada took bronze.

For Rijpma-de Jong, it's the first Olympic gold of her career. The Olympic champion in the 3.000 and 5.000 meters, Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy, finished 13th and thus had no chance of a medal this time. Superstar and glamour girl Leerdam didn't even start. For her, the Olympic Games are already over.

The Dutchwoman finished 0,06 seconds ahead of her nearest pursuer. © APA/afp / DANIEL MUNOZ

Lea Sophie Scholz, the only German participant, finished in 18th place with a time of 1:57,68 minutes. The speed skating competitions will conclude on Saturday with the mass starts for both women and men.

Keywords Winter sports Olympics 2026 Speed skating