Merel Conijn Wins Silver in Thrilling 5000m Race at Winter Olympics
MILAN, Italy – Dutch speed skater Merel Conijn secured a silver medal in the women’s 5000-meter race at the Winter Olympics on Thursday, February 12, 2026, finishing just tenths of a second behind gold medalist Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy. The race, held in Milan, proved to be a nail-biting finish, with the top three skaters separated by incredibly small margins.
Lollobrigida claimed the gold with a time that was only 0.1 seconds faster than Conijn’s, marking her second Olympic title in the event. Ragne Wiklund of Norway took the bronze medal. This result underscores the intense competition at the highest level of speed skating.
Conijn initially believed she had won the gold, but the final results revealed Lollobrigida’s narrow victory. “I thought for a moment I had gold,” Conijn said, according to reports.
The Dutch team faced a last-minute change before the race when Bente Kerkhoff was forced to withdraw due to a back injury. Marijke Groenewoud stepped in as her replacement, but was unable to contend for a medal, finishing with a time of 6:58.33. The unexpected substitution added another layer of drama to the event.
Conijn’s coach, Jillert Anema, expressed a mix of pride and frustration, noting that while a silver medal is a significant achievement, he felt Conijn could have started her final sprint earlier to gain more time. “That is a character trait. I am more focused on things that don’t function than things that do work,” Anema said. “You know that the Netherlands is crazy about losers. A silver medal gets more support, arms around the shoulders and congratulations, but meanwhile you know: it is a tenth.”
Sandrine Tas of Belgium also delivered a strong performance, finishing just off the podium. According to HLN, Tas was within 13 hundredths of a second from earning a bronze medal and three tenths from gold.
The competition continues at the Winter Olympics with short track events scheduled for later in the day, featuring two finals with potential medal opportunities for the Netherlands.
