"Jorrit Bergsma, the mullet-wearing 40-year-old speed skating legend from the Netherlands, won the men's mass start on Saturday afternoon for his second medal of the Milano Cortina Games and his first Olympic gold since 2014. Bergsma crossed first in 7:55.50, ahead of Viktor Hald Thorup of Denmark and Andrea Giovannini of Italy, denying American star Jordan Stolz in his bid to become the first man in 32 years to win three long-track speed skating golds at a single Olympics."
"Bergsma didn't panic when he started near the back of the pack, sitting 15th after the opening lap. He steadily worked his way forward alongside Thorup and spent much of the middle of the 16-lap race out in front, conserving energy and staying out of trouble. With five laps to go, Thorup and Bergsma led by nearly 300m and were close to lapping the field."
"Bergsma made his final push on the second-to-last circuit, taking control of the lead and powering through the closing stretch with barely a fight from the field. Stolz went out in front immediately before slipping back into the middle of the peloton after two laps but staying in the mix throughout. He was still right there entering the final trips around the oval and even produced one of the fastest closing bursts in the field, but couldn't overtake Giovannini down the stretch."
Jorrit Bergsma, 40, won the men's mass start at Milano Cortina, crossing first in 7:55.50. Viktor Hald Thorup finished second and Andrea Giovannini finished third. Jordan Stolz, who had won Olympic-record golds in the 500m and 1000m and silver in the 1500m, was denied a third long-track gold. Bergsma had claimed bronze in the 10,000m earlier in the Games and became the third athlete in his 40s to win an individual gold at Milano Cortina. Bergsma moved up from 15th after the opening lap, spent much of the race out front with Thorup, and surged on the penultimate circuit to seal the victory.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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