5,000 metres, Men

Beijing Olympic champion Nils van der Poel retired after his Olympic victory, and changed his surname to return to anonymity. Patrick Roest, silver medallist in 2022 then claimed the 2023-24 World titles, ahead of Italy’s Davide Ghiotto. But Roest suffered from fatigue following pericoronitis since 2024, and was only allowed to take part in the Dutch Olympic trials on a wildcard. Ghiotto seemed the logical successor to Roest, but a host of other contenders appeared in 2025. Sander Eitrem of Norway earned the 2025 World title, and just two weeks before Milano Cortina, he broke a magical barrier by becoming the first skater to complete the 5,000 m in less than 6 minutes: 5:58.52. Earlier in the year, France’s Timothy Loubineaud had already bettered vder Poel’s world record. The 2025/26 long distance World Cup was won by the young Czech talent Metoděj Jílek, who had also won one 5,000 m World Cup, just as Casey Dawson (USA). Absent in the race was the 2026 European Champion, Vladimir Semirunniy. The Polish skater, bronze medallist at the 2025 Worlds, had recorded poor performances at the first few World Cups and had only managed to qualify for a reserve position.

The first rider to beat 6:10 came in the third pair, with Riccardo Lorello. The Italian, hailing from Rho, location of the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, had won a surprise silver at the 2026 European Championships, and now clocked 6:09.22. Other competitors had a hard time beating Lorello’s time, and even his more experience compatriot Ghiotto came up short despite clocking faster times nearly all of the race – 6:09.57. In pair nine, Eitrem and Jílek started at the same pace as Lorello. Around 2,000 m, Eitrem pulled away from Jílek and Lorello’s splits. The Norwegian held on to 28-second laps up until 4,600 m, and finished in 6:03.95, a serious improvement of Van der Poel’s Olympic Record from 2022, as well as a new unofficial low-altitude world record. In the final pair Loubineaud was never quite able to threaten the leading times, finishing in 6:11.15 and fifth place.

For the first time since 1984, no Dutch skaters were on the 5,000 m podium . Conversely, Eitrem’s gold marked the first Norwegian gold in the event since Johann Olav Koss in 1994. Jílek’s became Czechia’s first male speed skater to earn an Olympic medal, and third overall after Martina Sáblíková and Karolína Erbanová, while Lorello’s surprise bronze was the second medal for Italy in the event, the first having come at the previous Olympics in Italy, 2006.