Gangwon 2024 Day 7: Daleman, the new queen of speed skating

The young skater won her third gold medal at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games. She won the mass start speed skating event. She had already won gold in the 500m and 1,500m races and bronze in the mixed relay with Sem Spruit.

Dutch skater Angel Daleman has become the new queen of speed skating, a discipline in which her country excels. Her dominance has made her a virtual idol. On the seventh day of competition, Daleman secured her third gold medal at Gangwon 2024.

It came in the women's mass start event. She was clearly in control. She had already won gold in the 500 metres with a time of 39.28, 36 hundredths ahead of Korea's Huidan Jung. She also finished first in the 1,500 metres with a time of 2:02.90, 39 hundredths ahead of China's Yunqi Liu. She was also on the podium with Sem Spruit for a bronze medal in the mixed relay, finishing behind China and Korea. 

So Daleman was the favourite on day 7 and she delivered. She easily won her semi-final and then skated a perfect tactical race in the final. She took the lead early to avoid risks and collisions at the end of the race. Daleman won convincingly. Her Dutch teammate Jasmijn Veenhuis took silver. Bronze went to Liu Yunqi from the People's Republic of China.


The Netherlands has always been a dominant force in speed skating. Just look at some of their successes, such as at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, where the Dutch won eight of the 12 gold medals on offer and 23 of the 36 medals overall. The country tops the medals table with 48 gold, 44 silver and 41 bronze medals for a total of 133. The United States come second with 30 gold and 71 medals. Such dominance makes the Netherlands a formidable team. 

Now with Daleman's successes, it can be said that a star is born. Given her talent, she will undoubtedly be competing for medals at the Winter Olympics in the very near future. What makes her even more special is her versatility. She's an exceptional talent. 

The Netherlands will nurture and cherish her as a raw diamond. Among the seniors, the true Olympic queen of speed skating is currently Ireen Wüst of the Netherlands, with six gold, five silver and two bronze medals for a total of 13 medals. Sven Kramer has won four gold medals, two silver medals, three bronze medals and nine medals.

Austria was the protagonist of the Alpine skiing event on day 7 at Gangwon 2024. OIS / IOC
Austria was the protagonist of the Alpine skiing event on day 7 at Gangwon 2024. OIS / IOC

There were also medal ceremonies in other sports. In Alpine skiing, for example, Austria won gold in the large mixed team parallel event. Sweden took silver and Finland bronze. Two-time individual gold medallist Maja Waroschitz led the Austrian team to the title. 

The Austrian team, represented by Waroschitz and Florian Neumayer, defeated Japan, Germany and the United States. They then defeated Sweden in the final. With this triumph, Austria won the mixed team title for the second time in the history of the Winter Youth Olympic Games. Sweden took silver. The bronze medal went to Finland, who beat the United States of America in the small final. 

The competition format involved 16 teams. Each team consisted of two skiers from the same country, one female and one male. These teams competed in head-to-head parallel slalom races. The races were held in a single elimination bracket format. After four races on two different courses (blue and red), the team with the most points or the lowest combined time advanced. Races were postponed due to injuries. American Annika Hunt was among those who needed medical attention.

Another sporting event took place on the seventh day of competition. This time it was freestyle skiing at Jeongseon High. The event was the mixed team dual moguls. The United States dominated, with their number 1 team taking gold and their number 2 team taking bronze. The silver medal went to the hosts, Korea.

In curling, the following matches were played: Mixed Doubles Robin Session 1

Group D: Austria 5, Germany 9. 

Group B: Sweden 7, Norway 6. 

Group D: Italy 2, Switzerland 7. 

Group A: Nigeria 3, Hungary 13.

The medal table is as follows:

1. Italy, 9 golds and 14 medals in total.

2. Germany, 7 golds and 13 medals. 

3. France, 6 golds and 13 medals. 

4. China, 5 golds and 16 medals. 

5. Korea, 3 golds and 12 medals