Video replay from earlier Games helps Dutchman van 't Wout claim 1,500m silver
Published: 15 Feb. 2026, 09:59
![Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's short track speed skating 1500-meter final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 14. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/15/805a3681-3010-46ad-a08e-8857d00d0272.jpg)
Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's short track speed skating 1500-meter final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 14. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Dutchman Jens van 't Wout struck gold in the men's 1,500-meter short track race on Saturday, his second individual title, as the Netherlands continued their strong showing at the Milan-Cortina Games.
Korean reigning champion Hwang Dae-heon came in second, while Latvia's Roberts Kruzbergs won the bronze.
"This race with nine people was like a table of roulette in the casino. And the fact that I can win like this, really fight well — it's insane," van 't Wout said.
There were extra skaters in the finals because of reinstatements after crashes in the semifinals.
Van 't Wout said that he had been shown a video of the 2022 final in Beijing, which featured 10 skaters, just before the race to get his tactics right.
"I thought, let's see what the winner did then. And that was to sit at the front of the race. So that's what I tried to do," he added.
The victories are a vindication for the 24-year-old who has a visible scar on his cheek after a skating accident in 2019 that almost caused him to quit the sport.
The Dutchman took the lead with four laps to go on Saturday at the Milan Ice Skating Arena and never gave it up. He skated around the ice draped in the red, white and blue Dutch flag to celebrate after his victory.
After the medal ceremony, he greeted his parents in the crowd.
"Every time I look at my dad, he's like, 'How are you doing this?' And I'm like, 'I have no idea,'" he said.
![Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the gold medal with silver medallist Hwang Dae-heon of Korea after the men's short track speed skating 1500-meter final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 14. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/15/8db2510f-4982-402d-ad3b-261ec5c3ead1.jpg)
Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the gold medal with silver medallist Hwang Dae-heon of Korea after the men's short track speed skating 1500-meter final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 14. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
The victory by the Dutch skater ended Korea's winning streak in Beijing and Pyeongchang.
Latvia's Kruzbergs, who had not been considered among the favorites, said he was very happy with his bronze medal.
"Hopefully, this brings some recognition to the sport itself in Latvia. And this is an incredible achievement. I'm just super happy that the medal is here, you know. I'm extremely, extremely happy that with a knee injury I'm able to get it," he said.
China's Sun Long, who won silver in the 1,000 meters on Thursday, suffered an injury just below the knee following a collision during the final, and members of his delegation had to help him exit the rink.
Reuters
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)