Netherlands' Xandra Velzeboer wins gold in Olympic 500m speed skating
by Darryl Coote · UPIFeb. 12 (UPI) -- Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands won the gold medal in women's 500-meter short track speed skating in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, after setting a world record in the semifinals.
The 24-year-old skated the four laps of the track in a blistering 41.609 seconds in the final race to win gold.
Velzeboer took an early lead and maintained a large gap over the remaining four skaters for most of the race.
Italy's Arianna Fontana finished second with a time of 42.294 seconds and Canada's Courtney Sarault finished third with 42.427 seconds.
Velzeboer's win came on the heels of her setting a new world record of 41.399 seconds in the semifinals earlier Thursday.
Fontana had won the gold medal in the 500 meters during the last two Winter Olympics, and with Thursday's silver medal, she now has 13 Olympic medals in total.
Winter Olympics: Team USA's Madison Chock, Evan Bates win silver
Silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of Team USA wear their silver medals after the ice dance competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on February 11, 2026. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo