jorrit bergsma strikes late but wins gold in mass start

2026-02-21 sport

Pyeongchang, zaterdag, 21 februari 2026.
At 40 years old, jorrit bergsma claimed olympic gold in the mass start at the winter olympics 2026. his victory came through a daring early attack no one saw coming. bergsma broke away from the pack with danish skater victor thorup, leaving favorites behind. jordan stolz missed the podium entirely. this gold marks bergsma’s second medal at these games and the ninth for the netherlands, setting a new national record. he now stands among the most decorated dutch winter athletes in history. moments before, few believed such a move could succeed. it did

bergsmas surprise attack seals olympic gold

Forty-year-old Jorrit Bergsma claimed Olympic gold in the men’s mass start at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games with a decisive early breakaway [1]. Together with Denmark’s Viktor Thorup, Bergsma surged ahead during the final laps, distancing himself from the main field [2]. Favorites including American Jordan Stolz failed to respond effectively, allowing Bergsma and Thorup to contest the line alone [3]. Bergsma triumphed at the finish, securing the Netherlands’ ninth gold medal of the Games—surpassing their previous best tally achieved in 2014, 2018, and 2022 [4].

strategic teamwork propels bergsma forward

The victory relied heavily on tactical cooperation within the Dutch team. Teammate Stijn van de Bunt played a crucial supporting role by disrupting the pace of the chasing group after Bergsma initiated his attack [5]. According to Bergsma, the initial plan involved Van de Bunt launching the offensive, but hesitation among rivals created an unexpected opening [6]. “You had Swings, Stolz, and Giovannini just looking at each other,” Bergsma explained, describing how competitors waited for someone else to act, enabling the duo to escape [7]. Italy’s Andrea Giovannini took bronze, finishing ahead of Stolz [8].

record-setting performance amid broader success

This gold marked Bergsma’s second medal at the 2026 Games, following a bronze earned earlier on the 10,000 meters [9]. His total career haul now includes five Olympic medals: two gold, one silver, and two bronze [10]. The Netherlands reached nineteen total medals (9 gold, 10 silver, 0 bronze) through this event, positioning them strongly overall despite still trailing the all-time national record of twenty-four set in Sochi 2014 [11]. With Marijke Groenewoud and Bente Kerkhoff advancing to the women’s mass start final, the Dutch delegation retained hope of adding further honors on the same day [12].

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olympisch goud Jorrit Bergsma