Irene Schouten has created a unique event at the Olympics. The skater from Hoogkarspel won the mass start in Beijing. With this she wins her third gold medal at the Games and takes a place in all four distances in which she competed. Never before has a Dutchman performed so well at the Winter Games.
Schouten made it through the semi-final on the mass start easily. Without wasting too much energy, she finished fourth and won an intermediate sprint. In the final, Schouten had to deal with Ivanie Blondin in a nerve-wracking final phase. In the final meters she passed the Canadian and grabbed the win.
With her gold medal, Schouten is the most successful Dutch Olympic athlete in one edition of the Winter Games. Yvonne van Gennip managed to win three golds in Calgary in 1988 and Ard Schenk did the same in 1972. Schouten takes it one step further with three golds and one bronze.
Schouten previously won gold in the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters. In the team pursuit, the North Holland player had to be satisfied with the bronze.