02/20/26 03:12:00
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02/20 15:11 CST Netherlands surges late to win its first Olympic men's 5000m
relay gold in short-track speedskating
Netherlands surges late to win its first Olympic men's 5000m relay gold in
short-track speedskating
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
MILAN (AP) --- The Netherlands won its first men's 5,000-meter relay at the
Olympics on Friday night, pulling away from the Korean and Italian teams over
the final two laps of the 45-lap race to add to an impressive short-track haul
for the Dutch at the Milan Cortina Games.
Jens van 't Wout, who skated the anchor leg, earned his third gold and fourth
medal overall in Milan, while his nation earned its fifth gold and seventh
medal overall in the short-track speedskating program.
He was joined by his brother Melle van 't Wout, Teun Boer and Friso Emons in
stopping the clock in 6 minutes, 51.847 seconds, giving the Netherlands a
comfortable gap over their closest pursuers inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Jeongmin Lee, Juneseo Lee, Jongun Rim and Dongmin Shin managed to get past the
Italian team in the final corner of the race to take the silver medal for the
second consecutive Winter Games. Rim also earned individual bronze in the 1,000
meters.
Italy rounded out the podium for the host nation. Pietro Sighel, Thomas
Nadalini, Luca Spechenhauser and Andrea Cassinelli were able to relegate the
defending champion Canadians to fourth place in a race often described as
choreographed chaos.
The women's 1,500-meter final was later Friday night to conclude the
short-track program at the Milan Cortina Games.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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