South Korea’s Jeong Jae-won, a leading long-distance speedskater, finished fifth in the men’s mass start final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, falling short of a third consecutive Olympic medal.
Jeong scored six points to place fifth among 16 skaters in the final at the Milan speedskating stadium, held Feb. 22 (Korean time).
Dutch veteran Jorrit Bergsma won gold with 68 points. Denmark’s Victor Hald Thorup took silver with 47, and Italy’s Andrea Giovannini won bronze with 21.
The mass start combines elements of speedskating and short track, with skaters starting together without lane assignments. The race is 16 laps, with sprint points awarded every four laps: three points for first, two for second and one for third. On the final lap, first earns 60 points, second 40 and third 20, with overall points determining the standings.
Jeong won silver in the team pursuit at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and silver in the mass start at the 2022 Beijing Games. He also raised expectations this season by winning two silvers in the men’s mass start across ISU World Cup events 1 through 4.
He advanced from semifinal heat 1 in third place with 21 sprint points, boosting hopes of a podium finish.
In the final, Jeong stayed near the back early to conserve energy as Bergsma and Thorup pushed the pace from the start. The gap to the leaders grew to more than half a lap, and Indra Medard of Belgium, who had also been in the back, moved up as well.
Bergsma and Thorup crossed the line in 7:55.00 and 8:00.52, respectively, to secure gold and silver.
Jeong, described as more of a sprinter, surged late but could not close on the lead group and finished fifth.
Jeong ended the Games with a 14th-place finish in the men’s 1,500 meters on Feb. 20 and fifth in the mass start.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.