Speed skating-Rijpma-de Jong completes her medal set with 1,500m gold at Milano Cortina

MILAN, Feb 20 : Dutchwoman Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong finally completed her Olympic medal set on Friday by winning the women's 1,500 metres at the Milano Cortina Games, securing her first gold and her nation's third speed skating title of these Games.

Norway's Ragne Wiklund took silver, while Canada's Valerie Maltais claimed bronze to round out the podium.

Rijpma-de Jong - who took the bronze in this distance at Beijing 2022 - stopped the clock at one minute 54.09 seconds, earning her second medal of Milan Cortina after her silver in the team pursuit.

"This medal means everything to me. I already had Olympic silver and bronze medals, but gold was the one still missing. I'm so proud I did it. It can't get any better...," Rijpma-de Jong said.

"Skating here with a full crowd of Dutch people, all yelling me to the finish line, was incredible.

"Yesterday I said, 'One medal I don't have is the gold medal'. I had one chance and now I have it. I'm really proud."

Competing at her fourth Olympics, the 30-year-old joins Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok as Dutch speed skating champions at Milano Cortina.

Considered one of the favourites in the distance after finishing second behind Takagi in the 2025-26 ISU Speed Skating World Cup standings, Rijpma-de Jong was drawn in the penultimate pairing. She skated in the outer lane, with American Brittany Bowe alongside her in the inner lane.

Once she crossed the line, all eyes turned to Miho Takagi, who set off in the 15th and final pair with the Czech Republic's Nikola Zdrahalova, but the 31-year-old Japanese great could only manage the sixth-fastest time.

Once the Dutch-dominated crowd realised Takagi would not beat Rijpma-de Jong's time, they burst into cheers.

It is the Netherlands' seventh gold of