The Netherlands delivered a historic performance in the women’s 1000 meters at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, claiming gold and silver while rewriting the Olympic record book in one of the Games’ fastest races yet.
Jutta Leerdam powered to victory Monday with a time of 1:12.31, lowering the Olympic record and securing her first Olympic gold medal in the event after winning silver at the 2022 Beijing Games. The performance marked the fourth Olympic record set in speed skating in just three races in Milan, underscoring the blazing pace of competition on the ice.
Leerdam’s winning skate was a model of precision and acceleration. She opened with a 17.6-second first split, slightly behind teammate Femke Kok, but surged through the middle of the race with the fastest second and third laps in the field (26.5 and 28.6 seconds) to seize control and secure the win.
Kok had already electrified the arena in the preceding pair, finishing in 1:12.59, also faster than the previous Olympic record of 1:13.19 set by Japan’s Miho Takagi in 2022. The World Cup champion in the 1000m this season, Kok continued her remarkable consistency after reaching the podium in all five World Cup races during the 2025–26 campaign. Known primarily for her dominance in the 500m — where she holds the world record and a two-year unbeaten streak — Kok’s explosive 17.4-second opening split briefly put Olympic gold within reach.
The Dutch 1–2 finish continued the Netherlands’ long-standing dominance in Olympic speed skating, marking the country’s sixth podium finish in the last seven Olympic women’s 1000m events. The medals from Leerdam and Kok were also significant for the Dutch delegation, representing the nation’s first medals of the 2026 Winter Games.
Defending Olympic champion Miho Takagi of Japan captured bronze, finishing 1.4 seconds behind Kok. The medal was historic for Takagi, as it became her eighth Olympic medal across five Winter Games, extending her record as Japan’s most decorated Winter Olympian. She also joined U.S. legend Bonnie Blair as the only women to win three Olympic medals in the 1000m.
American Brittany Bowe, the world-record holder in the distance, finished just off the podium in fourth place, missing bronze by 0.6 seconds. The 37-year-old, competing in her fourth Olympics, plans to retire after the Games. Over a 16-year career, Bowe has compiled 91 World Cup medals, 22 national titles, six world championships, and four world records, including her 1:11.16 world record in the 1000m set in 2019. She previously earned Olympic bronze in Beijing, her only individual Olympic medal.
Fellow American Erin Jackson, the reigning Olympic champion in the 500m, placed sixth in her Olympic debut in the 1000m after recently expanding into the middle sprint distance. Jackson will return to the ice to defend her 500m Olympic title on Feb. 15, where she is expected to face strong competition from Kok.
Speed skating action continues in Milan on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with the men’s 1000m, highlighted by the highly anticipated Olympic debut of American phenom Jordan Stolz. The race is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET, as the fast-paced competition at the Olympic Oval shows no signs of slowing down.
