Bergsma, 40, wins mass start to give the Dutch a men's gold

The Dutch expected to shine in speedskating, and while their women had already taken multiple sprint titles, the men had so far finished with silvers and bronzes. That changed in the final event, the mass start, when a veteran stepped forward to secure gold. Jorrit Bergsma, 40 and a gold medalist in 2014, broke away alongside Denmark’s Viktor Hald Thorup and the field could not reel them in.

Bergsma had more left at the finish and won another Olympic gold, 12 years after his first. Jordan Stolz, the American who had already won two golds and a silver in Italy, did not make the podium. The men’s mass start final listed Jorrit Bergsma, NED, 68 points for gold; Viktor Hald Thorup, DEN, 47 for silver; and Andrea Giovannini, ITA, 21 for bronze.

On the women’s side, the Dutch had won the three sprint races with three different athletes, while Francesca Lollobrigida took gold in the longer events. In the women’s mass sprint there was no breakaway; Marijke Groenewoud moved with 400 meters to go and held on for her first Olympic gold at 27.

Netherlands

jorrit bergsma, mass start, speedskating, olympics, hald thorup, andrea giovannini, jordan stolz, netherlands, marijke groenewoud, francesca lollobrigida