Dutch speed skaters Leerdam and Kok celebrate emotional gold and silver medals in Milan

Emotion overtook Dutch ice-skater Jutta Leerdam after she claimed Olympic gold in the 1,000 meters in Milan. Speaking to the press with the medal hanging from her neck, she reflected on the journey behind the victory. “You spend years building toward one goal, and then it’s done. Standing there with that medal, it’s an extraordinary feeling.”

Leerdam also praised Femke Kok, who won the silver medal. The 27-year-old from Zuid-Holland edged out the 25-year-old from Friesland, winning in 1:12.31 compared with 1:12.59. “She’s an Olympic silver medalist as well,” Leerdam noted. “That makes it important to acknowledge each other’s achievements.”

Leerdam emphasized the value of her competitive relationship with Kok. “We make each other better,” she said. “Skating against one another drives us to a remarkable standard, and that’s clearly showing once again.”

Kok previously stressed that there is a strong rapport between her and Leerdam. “The media loves to blow it up,” she said. “But together we’ve raised the level of sprint skating. We push each other incredibly hard. That’s what makes it so special that we’re clearly ahead of everyone else and end up finishing one-two.”

Kok stated after the 1,000-meter race that she wasn’t pleased with her silver medal. She thought that her time would have been enough to capture gold. Kok said the race ranked among the strongest 1,000 meters of her career, which made the outcome harder to accept. “I knew Jutta had never posted this time in Europe,” she said. “My coaches believed I had a very real shot at winning gold as well. Sadly, it didn’t work out that way.”

Kok found some solace in knowing she had skated the best race she could. “That means I shouldn’t complain,” she said, “but at the same time, you want to come out on top. So there’s still a sense of frustration.”

Leerdam noticed just before her own race that Kok had set a formidable benchmark with a time of 1:12.59. According to Leerdam, it may actually have eased the pressure. “If that’s the quickest time and you don’t have more speed, then you accept it,” she explained. “All I could focus on was skating a good race. and that ended up producing something really special,” she said after winning the race.

Coach Kosta Poltavets called the race a masterpiece, and Leerdam agreed it was the strongest 1,000 meters of her career, despite noticing a few small imperfections. “It was special,” she reflected. “He told me beforehand: 1:12 in Milan. My first thought was that I didn’t even know how quick the ice would be. Then I ended up skating 1:12.31. He had faith in me, and I trusted him. In the end, that paid off beautifully.”

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were present at the TeamNL House in Milan to witness the celebrations honoring Leerdam and Kok. The royal couple watched the ceremony from within the audience, according to footage shown on the screens.

The audience sang along for both skaters before We Are the Champions rang out across the sold-out hall. With their performances, Leerdam and Kok earned the Netherlands its first medals at these Olympic Games.

Kok and Leerdam will also compete in the 500 meters on Sunday. Kok enters the 500 meters as the top contender, having dominated that distance for quite a while. The race is set for Sunday. The 1,500 meters, which Kok will also compete in, will follow on Friday, February 20.

At the Olympic qualifiers at Thialf in late December, Kok came in second in the 1,500 meters, trailing Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong but finishing ahead of Marijke Groenewoud. Both Rijpma-de Jong and Groenewoud will also race the 1,500 meters in Milan.