Jorrit Bergsma won gold in the men’s mass start speed skating event at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, becoming, at 40, the oldest Olympic champion in the history of long track speed skating. On the final straight, with a clear margin, he waved to the crowd before crossing the finish line and, moments later, summed up the moment in simple terms: “Incredible. Incredible. I’m a 40-year-old guy. It’s crazy. This was completely unexpected.”
Away from the ice, his life unfolds far from the constant spotlight of elite competition. Born in Aldeboarn, in the Dutch region of Frisia, Bergsma still lives there with his wife, former Olympic speed skater Heather Bergsma, who has since retired, and their two children, Brent and Barbara Jean. In interviews over the years, he has described how fatherhood reshaped his daily routine: when he is home, family responsibilities take priority and skating no longer defines every moment. That balance, he has said, allows him to approach the sport differently after more than two decades on the ice.
Aldeboarn, family life and distance from the Olympic spotlight
His relationship with Heather Bergsma, one of the fastest speed skaters in the history of the United States, has been part of both his personal and sporting environment. For years, they shared training sessions, a coach and the structure of elite competition, until her retirement. When both competed at the Olympic Games, they represented different countries, the Netherlands and the United States, and were required to stay in separate buildings inside the Olympic Village, in accordance with standard rules of the International Olympic Committee -IOC-. That temporary separation reflected a life divided between family routines in Frisia and the demands of international competition.
His connection to his hometown has remained constant since his earliest days skating on natural ice before moving to the indoor rink at Thialf, one of the central venues of Dutch speed skating. From there, he built a career that included Olympic gold in the 10,000 metres at Sochi 2014, silver at PyeongChang 2018, and bronze in the same distance at Milano Cortina 2026, one week before his victory in the mass start.
The return to Jillert Anema and a search for stability
His career has also included moments of change. After more than a decade working with coach Jillert Anema, he joined Team Jumbo-Visma, led by Jac Orie, a move that introduced a different training approach. Two seasons later, he returned to Team Albert Heijn Zaanlander and resumed working with Anema, a decision he described in personal terms: “These were not two wasted years. I had a great time and it was an enrichment. Sometimes you discover that one thing doesn’t work for you and another does.”
The return came without tension between athlete and coach. “We are not men of resentment. It has always been good, and it is good again now,” Bergsma said, describing a relationship built over years of shared preparation and competitive success.
A champion who never set a final deadline
At Milano Cortina 2026, he raced wearing number 13, a number he has used for years in marathon competitions in the Netherlands and one that again accompanied him at a decisive moment. “It has always been my lucky number. In the Netherlands I skate marathons with number 13. One week ago, I won bronze on Friday the 13th. And today I win with number 13. It is like magic for me,” he said.
One week earlier, he had taken bronze in the 10,000 metres, a result he had not expected. “It was already big for me to be here at the Olympics. That bronze was a surprise,” he explained before the mass start. After winning gold, he avoided setting a retirement timeline and repeated the approach that has defined his later career. “Four years will be very hard, especially with the young guys coming. I will go year by year, but I am not done yet,” he said after becoming, in Italy, the oldest Olympic champion in the history of his discipline.
