Dutch speed skating stars Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam pushed each other to new heights throughout the 2025/26 ISU Speed Skating season, ultimately winning Olympic gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Kok opens the season with a world record

Kok opened the World Cup season by shattering the 12-year-old 500m world record in her second 500m race at the Salt Lake City Olympic Oval.

Bringing the legendary Sang-Hwa Lee (KOR) mark of 36.36s down to 36.09 seconds, Kok brought women's sprinting closer than ever to the 35-second barrier. 

“I’ve dreamt about this for so long. I usually don’t get emotional easily, but this hit me," Kok said in disbelief after setting the world record. 

Leerdam overcomes injury setbacks

Coming off a groin injury that had hampered her at the Dutch National Championships two weeks prior, Leerdam also made a confident start to the international season.

Having been beaten by Kok in her favorite 1000m at the Dutch Nationals, Leerdam hit back in a head-to-head battle in Salt Lake City. She stopped the clock after 1 minute and 12.35 seconds, with Kok finishing 0.08 seconds later.

“I didn't expect to make this big of a step within two weeks. Two weeks ago, I didn't really hit it yet, and now, all of a sudden, I really hit it, and it goes really fast,” Leerdam said.

After that smooth start, however, Leerdam's season turned into a bumpy road. She finished fourth, 0.98 seconds behind Kok at the second World Cup 1000m in Calgary a week later, and was hit by a car while training on her bike just a week ahead of the third World Cup.

Despite five stitches in her face and scratches and bruises on her arms and legs, Leerdam nevertheless managed to win at the third World Cup on home soil. Leerdam said:

"I always try to stay positive. Even if you’re not feeling very well physically, you have to just say it’s going well. You shouldn’t let it affect you mentally, just shut out negativity."

Jutta Leerdam interacts with Femke Kok after competing in the Women's 500m at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in Milan, Italy. © Getty Images

The race to Milano Cortina 2026

While Leerdam was struggling with injuries in a constant quest to convert her formidable power into speed on the ice, Kok went on to win every World Cup race in her favorite 500m.

At the fifth and final World Cup event in Inzell, Germany, just two weeks prior to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Kok easily brought home the 500m Trophy, having won all seven 500m races in which she competed.

Kok also took home the 1000m World Cup, but Leerdam beat her, again in a head-to-head battle, by 0.69 seconds in the final race in Inzell, setting the stage for their showdown at the Milano Cortina 2026 two weeks later. Leerdam said:

"Femke is one of the top skaters at this moment. That gives a little extra, also for her when she faces me. It gives a lot of positive energy and it's better than being paired with someone who is not able to push you."

Leerdam claims Olympic 1000m Gold

In the Olympic 1000m, Kok started in the second-to-last pairing, with Leerdam starting in the final heat. Finishing in 1:12.59, which was 1.36 seconds faster than reigning Olympic champion Miho Takagi (JPN), Kok set an incredibly high bar for her rival, but Leerdam managed to surpass Kok's time by 0.28 seconds. She said: 

"Maybe it was a bit less pressure because it (Kok's time) was just so fast, I had respect for the fact that it was so fast and if that ends up to be the fastest and I would not have been able to go faster, that's just what it is."

Kok ended up with silver in the Olympic 1000m.

Femke Kok celebrates after breaking the Olympic record and winning gold in the Speed Skating Women's 500m with silver medalist, Jutta Leerdam at the Olympic Winter games Milano Cortina 2026 in Milan, Italy. © Getty Images

Kok answers with Olympic 500m Gold

Six days later, the roles were reversed in the 500m. With favorite Kok skating in the final pairing, Leerdam seized the opportunity to put the pressure on, setting the fastest time in 37.15 seconds before her compatriot took the ice.

Just like Leerdam had done before, Kok defied the pressure. Kok answered with a time of 36.49 seconds to claim the Olympic 500m title in style. The two rivals celebrated their respective Olympic titles together. Kok said:

"We push each other to the highest level, and we respect each other a lot. The 1000m is Jutta's distance and the 500m is mine. We both know the sacrifices you have to make to get to this level. We can share that feeling because we understand each other."