Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong of the Netherlands secured her first Olympic gold medal, winning the women's 1,500 meters speed skating event at the Milano Cortina Games. This victory marks the third speed skating title for the Netherlands at these Games.
Norway's Ragne Wiklund earned the silver medal, with Canada's Valerie Maltais taking bronze. Rijpma-de Jong finished the race in one minute 54.09 seconds, just 0.06 seconds ahead of Wiklund. This win is her second medal of the current Games, following a silver in the team pursuit.
Competing in her fourth Olympic Games, the 30-year-old Rijpma-de Jong joins her compatriots Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok as speed skating champions in Milano Cortina. She was considered a favorite after a strong performance in the World Cup standings. Japan's Miho Takagi, the world record holder in the distance, finished sixth.
Rijpma-de Jong's Olympic journey includes previous medals: silver in the team pursuit at Pyeongchang 2018, bronze in the 3,000m that same year, and team pursuit and 1,500m bronze medals at Beijing 2022. American Brittany Bowe finished fourth in her final Olympic appearance.