Wust makes Olympic history
Dutch speed skater becomes the first athlete to claim individual golds at five different Games
Ireen Wust cannot really explain it. Something inside of her just changes when she gets to an Olympic Games.
Her confidence soars. Her legs feel stronger. When she needs that little extra bit of speed, it is always there.
“I don’t know what it is,” Wust said. “I just see the rings and something magical happens.”
It happened again on Feb 7, at the age of 35, pushing the Dutch speed skating star into a class of her own.
Wust glided into the record books with a victory in the 1,500 meters at the Beijing Games, becoming the first athlete — woman or man, winter or summer — to claim individual gold medals at five different Olympics.
Nope, Michael Phelps did not do that. Neither did Carl Lewis. British rower Steven Redgrave won gold medals over five Olympics, but each of those victories came as part of twoor four-man teams.
Wust did it all on her own.
“Of course it means a lot, but I don’t realize it yet,” said Wust, who plans to retire after the Olympics. “Ask me this question again in 10 days. I’m an emotional mess in my head.”
Wust already was the most decorated speed skater in Winter Olympic history. She pushed her overall medal haul to a dozen, a collection she started gathering when she made her debut at the 2006 Turin Games.
But what made this one really stand out was the color.
Gold. She has got six of them now — five in individual events that are evenly distributed over each of the Olympics she has competed in during her remarkable career.
On the biggest stage, Wust always seems to shine.
“She had the perfect race at the best moment,” said fellow Dutch skater Antoinette de Jong, who settled for the bronze behind the winner and Japan’s Miho Takagi.
Wust set an Olympic record while defending her title in the 1,500m, crossing the line with a time of 1 min 53.28 sec at the Ice Ribbon oval.
Wust yanked off her hood, threw up her arms and tilted back her head in delight when she saw her time on the scoreboard.
“An Olympic record on this track is amazing,” she said. “The time is really fast. I was really proud already of myself that I did my best 1,500 in the biggest moment.”
Amazingly, Wust has medaled in the 1,500m — a race that requires the speed of a sprinter and the staying power of an endurance skater — at all five of her Olympics. She has won the gold three times in the event, to go along with a silver and a bronze.
While some may have written her off because of her age, Wust never doubted that she had one more goldmedal performance in those strong legs of hers. “Age is just a number,” she said. “It’s all about how you feel. I’m not thinking about that I’m 35 and old. Never.”
Still, winning another gold will not dissuade Wust from her plans to retire after the Beijing Games.
“This is it,” she said. “I will leave on top.”