Leerdam's Triumph Lights Up Milan's Ice as Britain's Hopes Fade
The atmosphere in Milan's speed skating stadium was electric on Monday, awash with a sea of orange as Dutch fans, including King Willem-Alexander, celebrated their national passion. The women's 1,000m event delivered high drama, with Jutta Leerdam producing a stunning comeback to snatch gold from her compatriot Femke Kok.
Dutch Dominance on the Ice
Femke Kok, the reigning 500m world champion and world record holder, set an early Olympic record pace, leaving veteran Brittany Bowe trailing. However, Leerdam, cheered on by her fiancé Jake Paul in the stands, saved her best for last. Starting slowly, she unleashed a furious final lap to overtake Japan's Miho Takagi and break Kok's newly-set record, crossing the line in exhausted triumph.
"I couldn't really stand, I couldn't really see, I couldn't do anything," Leerdam admitted after her draining effort. The victory was particularly sweet for the Dutch, whose winter culture revolves around skating on frozen waterways.
British Heartbreak in Snow and Ice
While the Netherlands celebrated, Team GB's quest for a first medal of these Games met with further frustration. In the freeski slopestyle, Kirsty Muir missed bronze by a mere 0.41 points after her final run, leaving her "in a bit of a hole right now." Similarly, snowboarder Mia Brookes gambled on a backside 1620 on her last jump in the big air final, a move that could have secured gold, but she couldn't stick the landing and finished fourth.
Over in Cortina, the mixed doubles curling pair of Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat saw their golden hopes dashed by Sweden's sibling duo Rasmus and Isabella Wranå in the semi-finals. After dominating the round-robin stage with eight wins from nine matches, they must now regroup for a bronze medal match.
Swiss Skiers Fend Off Italian Challenge
The new combined team skiing event saw Switzerland reinforce their alpine supremacy, despite a strong morning challenge from Italy's Giovanni Franzoni. While Franzoni outpaced Swiss stars Franjo von Allmen and Marco Odermatt in the downhill, Switzerland's slalom specialist Tanguy Nef, described by Von Allmen as having "nailed" his run, propelled his team from fourth to first. Italy's Alex Vinatzer couldn't match that performance, dropping his team to seventh and ensuring a podium dominated by Swiss athletes.
Medal Table Update and Looking Ahead
Norway continues to lead the overall medal count, though they added no new medals on Monday. The standings see Switzerland and Japan in close pursuit, with the Netherlands climbing thanks to Leerdam's gold. Attention now turns to Tuesday's events, including the women's alpine team combined, men's freeski slopestyle final, and the mixed doubles curling medal matches, where Britain will face Italy for bronze.
As the investigation into breaking medals continues, for Team GB the search for that elusive podium finish goes on, with athletes like Muir and Brookes left to reflect on agonisingly narrow margins.
