Irene Karlijn "Ireen" Wüst (; born 1 April 1986) is a Dutch former long track speed skater. Wüst became the most successful speed skating Olympian ever by achieving at least one gold medal in each of five consecutive Winter Olympic appearances. Wüst is the second athlete (after Britain's Steve Redgrave) to win a gold medal at five consecutive Olympics, Summer or Winter, and the first to do so in individual events.
Wüst is both the youngest Dutch Olympic gold medalist and the oldest speed skating gold medalist in the history of the Winter Games. At the age of nineteen, on 12 February 2006, she won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games 3000 metre event; four years later at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games she won the 1500 metre event; at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games she won two gold and three silver medals, making her the most decorated athlete at the Sochi Games. Following her record sixth speed skating gold medal in the 1500 metres and bronze in the team pursuit event at the 2022 Winter Olympics she has won a record thirteen Olympic medals, more than any other speed skater, making her the most successful athlete of the Netherlands at the Olympics. She is also a seven-time world allround champion, a fifteen-time world single distance champion, and a five-time European allround champion. In 2014, she was elected by Reuters as the Sportswoman of the World.
Skating career Wüst debuted at the 2004 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships in November 2003 with ninth place in both the 500m and 1500m events. At the end of the season, she won the silver medal in the world junior championships in Roseville, Minnesota, USA. The following season she qualified for the 2004–05 World Cup during the 2005 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships with fifth place in the 1000m and fourth place in the 1500m. With a third place at the 2005 KNSB Dutch Allround Championships, she qualified for her first international senior tournament, the 2005 European Championships in Heerenveen. There she came fourth and secured a spot in the Dutch team for the 2005 World Allround Championships in Moscow, Russia, where she finished in fifth place. She then became World Junior Champion in Seinäjoki, Finland.
Season 2005–2006 Before the start of the season, Wüst signed a deal with TVM and started training under the guidance of Gerard Kemkers. At the 2006 KNSB Dutch Single Distance Championships, which also served as the Olympic Trials, Wüst won the 1000m, 1500m, and 3000m, which gave her a spot in the Dutch Olympic Team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Before the Olympics, she started in the 2006 European Championships in Hamar, where she won the bronze medal behind Claudia Pechstein of Germany and teammate Renate Groenewold.
Olympic Games in Turin At the 2006 Olympics, her first distance was the 3000 metres where Wüst beat Groenewold and Cindy Klassen of Canada for the gold medal and became The Netherlands' youngest ever Winter Olympics champion. She missed out on the podium in the 1000 metres, finishing fourth. At her last event, the 1500 metres, she won a bronze medal behind Cindy Klassen and Kristina Groves of Canada. At her last event of the season, the 2006 World Allround Championships, Wüst finished fourth after she had been ill a few days before the tournament.
After the end of the season, Wüst was elected as the best Dutch Sportswoman of the Year 2006. She was also elected female skater of the year.
Season 2006–2007 Wüst started the season with two titles and one second place at the 2007 Dutch Distance Championships. She also won the 2007 Dutch Allround Championships. At the 2007 European Championships, Wüst led the championships after 3 of 4 distances but was beaten by Martina Sáblíková. The following weekend she competed in the 2007 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in Hamar, again winning the silver medal. She became World Allround Champion during the 2007 World Allround Championships for the home crowd in Heerenveen. She won the 2006–07 World Cup in the 1500 m after winning two of the six races, as well as the 1000 m during the World Cup Final in Calgary. At the 2007 World Distance Championships, she won a gold medal in the 1000 m, breaking the national record, and another in the 1500 m. With Renate Groenewold and Paulien van Deutekom, she won silver in the team pursuit behind Canada.
Season 2007–2008 After a difficult start to the season, Wüst won the European allround title in January 2008. Her main competitor this year was Paulien van Deutekom. Wüst finished second behind van Deutekom during the World Allround Championships in Berlin. In Nagano during the 2008 World Distance Championships, she won the gold medal in the team pursuit alongside Groenewold and Van Deutekom. Wüst won only one world race this season, the 1500m in Hamar.
2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver At the 2010 Winter Olympics she won a gold medal in the 1500 metres.
2014 Olympic Games in Sochi
At the 2014 Winter Olympics, she won gold medals in the 3000 metres and in the team pursuit, and silver medals in the 1000m, 1500m and 5000m.
2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 1500 metres and a silver medal in the 3000 metres. Her 1500 m gold medal was her fourth consecutive medal at this distance at the Olympics, and this was the fourth Olympics in a row in which she won an individual gold medal, the first time this was achieved by a Winter Olympian. She also became the second speed skater to win the Olympic 1500 metres twice (after Lidiya Skoblikova in 1960 and 1964), and the first Dutch athlete to win five gold medals and ten medals overall at the Olympics. She also became the first speed skater, male or female, to win eleven Olympic medals, and the first female Winter Olympian to win nine individual medals.
2022 Olympic Games in Beijing At the 2022 Winter Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 1500 metres, setting a new Olympic record time and becoming the first athlete to earn individual gold medals at five different Olympics (spanning 16 years).
Personal records
She is currently in 5th position on the Adelskalender with a score of 156.436 points.
Tournament overview Season Dutch Championships Single Distances Dutch Championships Sprint Dutch Championships Allround European Championships Allround World Championships Allround World Championships Sprint World Championships Single Distances Olympic Games World Cup GWC World Championships Junior Allround European Championships Single Distances 2003–04 9th 500m 9th 1500m 11th 500m 1500m 1000m 3000m overall Team pursuit 2004–05 5th 1000m 4th 1500m 500m 5th 3000m 1500m 5th 5000m overall 7th 500m 3000m 1500m 6th 5000m 4th overall 5th 500m 4th 3000m 1500m 6th 5000m 5th overall 28th 1500m 500m 1500m 1000m 3000m overall Team pursuit 2005–06 1000m 1500m 3000m 5th 500m 4th 3000m 1500m 4th 5000m overall 5th 500m 7th 3000m 1500m 7th 5000m 4th overall 4th 1000m 1500m 3000m 6th Team pursuit 7th 1000m 1500m 25th 3/5 km 5th team pursuit 2006–07 4th 500m 1000m 1500m 3000m 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 6th 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 14th 500m 1000m 10th 500m 1000m overall 1000m 1500m 5th 3000m Team pursuit 29th 500m 6th 1000m 1500m 6th 3/5 km Team pursuit 2007–08 8th 500m 1000m 1500m 4th 3000m 5th 500m 1000m 4th 500m 1000m overall 500m 3000m 4th 1500m 5000m overall 4th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 4th 3000m 1500m 4th 5000m overall 19th 500m 1000m 19th 500m 1000m 6th overall 9th 1000m 7th 1500m Team pursuit 42nd 500m 1000m 1500m 7th 3/5 km 2008–09 10th 500m 6th 1000m 1500m DQ 3000m 13th 500m 7th 1000m DNS 500m DNQ 1000m NC overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 6th 500m 7th 3000m 4th 1500m 5th 5000m 6th overall 500m 7th 3000m 1500m 8th 5000m overall 1500m Team pursuit 36th 1000m 6th 1500m Team pursuit 2009–10 6th 500m 5th 1000m 1500m 3000m 4th 500m 3000m 1500m 5th 5000m overall 6th 500m 3000m 1500m 7th 5000m overall 8th 1000m 1500m 7th 3000m 6th Team pursuit 53rd 500m 19th 1000m 6th 1500m 9th 3/5 km 5th Team pursuit 2010–11 NC 500m 5th 1000m 1500m 3000m 5th 500m 1000m 8th 500m 1000m 4th overall 6th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 13th 500m 1000m 16th 500m 1000m 7th overall 1000m 1500m 3000m Team pursuit 5th 1000m 1500m 9th 3/5 km Team pursuit 2011–12 1000m 1500m 3000m 8th 500m 1000m 9th 500m 1000m 5th overall 500m 5th 3000m 6th 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 5th 1000m 1500m 3000m Team pursuit 5th 1000m 1500m 8th 3/5 km 6th Team pursuit Grand World Cup 2012–13 6th 1000m 1500m 3000m 10th 500m 1000m 11th 500m 1000m 5th overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 4th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 1000m 1500m 3000m 5000m Team pursuit 12th 1000m 1500m 6th 3/5 km Team pursuit Grand World Cup 2013–14 1000m 1500m 3000m 8th 500m 1000m 7th 500m DQ 1000m NC overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 1000m 1500m 3000m 5000m Team pursuit 6th 1000m 1500m 6th 3/5 km Team pursuit Grand World Cup 2014–15 1000m 1500m 3000m 13th 500m 1000m DNS 500m DNS 1000m NC overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 4th 1000m 1500m 3000m Team pursuit 6th 1000m 4th 1500m 3/5 km Team pursuit 4th Grand World Cup 2015–16 1000m 1500m 3000m 11th 500m 1000m 12th 500m 1000m 6th overall 500m 3000m 1500m 4th 5000m overall 4th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 6th 1000m 4th 1500m 3000m Team pursuit 20th 1500m 17th 3/5 km Team pursuit 2016–17 10th 500m 1000m 1500m 3000m 5th 500m 1000m 5th 500m 1000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 1500m 3000m Team pursuit 11th 1000m 4th 1500m 9th 3/5 km Team pursuit 2017–18 1000m 1500m 3000m 9th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 9th 1000m 1500m 3000m Team pursuit 16th 1000m 7th 1500m 12th 3/5 km Team pursuit 2018–19 1000m 1500m 3000m 4th 500m 7th 3000m 5th 1500m 7th 5000m 4th overall 500m 6th 3000m 1500m 7th 5000m 5th overall 1500m 5th 3000m Team pursuit 53rd 500m 8th 1000m 1500m 24th 3/5 km 4th Team pursuit Team sprint 2019–20 1000m 1500m 5th 3000m 4th 500m 3000m 1500m 5000m overall 4th 1000m 1500m Team pursuit 14th 1000m 1500m 5th 1000m 1500m Team pursuit Team sprint 2020–21 1000m 4th 1500m 5th 3000m 12th 500m 4th 1000m 10th 500m 1000m 6th overall 5th 1500m Team pursuit 5th 1000m 1500m Team pursuit 2021–22 1000m 1500m 5th 3000m 7th 500m 1000m 8th 500m DQ 1000m NC overall 6th 1000m 1500m Team pursuit 19th 1000m 6th 1500m Team Pursuit 1500 m Team pursuit Source:
World Cup overview Season500 meter 2004–2005 2005–2006 2006–2007 8th – 14th – – – – – – – – – 2007–2008 – – – – – – – – 1st(b) 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014 2014–2015 2015–2016 2016–2017 2017–2018 2018–2019 2019–2020 2020–2021 2021–2022 Season 1000 meter 2004–2005 2005–2006 6th – – – – 2006–2007 – – – – – – 2007–2008 7th 8th 12th 6th 4th 4th 2008–2009 16th 13th – – – – – – – – 2009–2010 1st(b) 5th 16th – – – 16th 2010–2011 5th – – – – 2011–2012 11th 5th 7th 5th – 2012–2013 – – – – – 5th – 2013–2014 7th – – – 2014–2015 6th – 4th 5th – – 2015–2016 2016–2017 5th 6th – 5th – – – 2017–2018 11th 14th – – 4th – 2018–2019 5th 4th 4th 8th – 6th 2019–2020 7th 5th – 10th – 2020–2021 5th 6th 2021–2022 6th 9th 9th – Season 1500 meter 2004–2005 – – – 1st(b) – 2005–2006 6th 7th 4th – 2006–2007 – 2007–2008 5th 13th – 5th – 2008–2009 8th 7th – 4th 11th 2009–2010 11th 12th 9th – 2010–2011 – 2011–2012 – 2012–2013 –* – – 2013–2014 – 2014–2015 4th – – 2015–2016 – – – – 4th – 2016–2017 – – – 2017–2018 4th – 4th – – 2018–2019 4th – 4th 2019–2020 2020–2021 2021–2022 4th 4th -