Ireen Wüst makes Olympic history with 1500m speed skating gold

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BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 07: Gold medallist Ireen Wust of Team Netherlands celebrates during the Women's 1500m on day three of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Speed Skating Oval on February 07, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

The Netherlands’ Ireen Wüst made history Monday, becoming the first person to win a gold medal at five different Winter Olympics.

The 35-year-old won the 1500m event in speedskating at the Beijing Winter Olympics, recording a time of 1:53.28 to set a new Olympic record. Miho Takagi followed close behind, with Wüst beating her by only .44 seconds.

Wüst’s countrywoman Antoinette de Jong earned bronze, finishing with a time of 1:54.82.

Monday’s win marks Wüst’s fifth straight gold in five different Olympics, a feat only she has accomplished after topping the podium in Beijing, PyeongChang, Sochi, Vancouver and Torino.

With 12 Olympic medals to her name, Wüst has a chance to add to her impressive medal haul, with two events left in what will be the Dutch speedskater’s last Olympics.

Team USA flagbearer Brittany Bowe finished 10th in the 1500m competition, clocking a time of 1:55.81.