Despite the country's longtime dominance in long track speed skating, the Netherlands had never skated to an Olympic short track medal of any color before the 2018 Games. Since missing out on the mixed relay final on the first day of competition in Milan, the country has topped the podium in all four individual events contested so far, collecting more golds in one Games than in any of their previous Olympic appearances combined (3).
The Dutch will look for gold Nos. 4 and 5 as the 2026 short track tournament continues Wednesday, Feb. 18, with two finals: the men's 500m and the women's 3000m relay.
Skaters are scheduled to take the ice at 2:15 p.m. E.T.
All short track events are available to watch available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Sports apps.
| Date/Time | Event | Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Weds, 2/18 2:15-4p |
M 500m & W 3000m Relay Finals 🏅 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
Men's 500m
The day's competition begins with four quarterfinals of five skaters each. The two fastest athletes in each quarterfinal and the top-two fastest 3rd-placed athletes overall advance to the semifinals, which will take place immediately following the quarterfinals.
Canada's William Dandjinou, Italy's Pietro Sighel, China's Liu Shaoang, Canada's Steven Dubois, and the Netherlands' Jens van 't Wout all won their 500m heats Monday to advance to the quarterfinals.
Dandjinou, 24, has at least one world championship medal in each of the five men's events except the 500m. This season, however, he won the first three 500m races on the World Tour, finishing 2nd in the fourth and final edition. He and teammate Dubois, the reigning world champion and Beijing bronze medalist in the distance, have a chance to record the second 1-2 finish in Canadian Olympic short track history.
As the two-time reigning Crystal Globe champion, Dandjinou entered the 2026 Games as the favorite in each of the three individual men's events. He missed the podium in the first two (1000m, 1500m).
In Saturday's heat, Dandjinou looked back to peak form, skating to a commanding lead early on and protecting it through the finish, avoiding a disastrous crash that wiped out the rest of the field.
Sighel, the overall world No. 2, also evaded a nasty spill in his heat, though much more narrowly. His skate nearly got caught in the mess, but his skill kept him upright, and though he did it backwards, he made it across the finish line.
Van 't Wout and reigning Olympic champion Liu won their heats by over half a second — a significant margin in a sport timed to the thousandth of a second. Van 't Wout has been on a tear this Olympics, winning both individual men's events contested so far in Milan for the Netherlands' first-ever golds in men's short track.
Andrew Heo was the only American skater to advance to the quarterfinals. The 24-year-old dealt Dandjinou his only 500m loss this season, becoming the first U.S. man to win a top-level short track race in 11 years.
Women's 3000m relay finals
The Netherlands, Canada, Italy, and South Korea all finished in the top two of their respective semifinals Feb. 14, earning an A Final berth.
Xandra Velzeboer — who, like Van 't Wout, has skated to gold in each of her two individual races so far in Milan — powers a strong Dutch squad. Four years ago, she aided in the country's historic gold-winning effort, marking the first time the Netherlands finished 1st in either the men's or women's relay on the Olympic level.
Canada, which has won four of the last seven Olympic men's relays, boasts two of the sport's strongest skaters in the women's field. Courtney Sarault made the podium in nine of her 12 races on the 2025 World Tour en route to securing her first Crystal Globe trophy. Three-time Olympian Kim Boutin owns four Olympic medals (1 silver, 3 bronze).
Italian short track legend Arianna Fontana has collected two medals in Milan (mixed relay gold, 500m silver), bringing her all-time total to 13. If she makes the podium once more, the 35-year-old will tie former Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen as the second-most decorated Winter Olympian. A win would mark the country's first in the event.
South Korea, traditionally a short track juggernaut, has won six of the nine women's relays contested on the Olympic level. The team skated to silver in Beijing.
The United States fell early in its semifinal race but battled back hard to finish 3rd, 1.1 seconds behind 2nd-place finisher Italy. The team, led by 2024 Crystal Globe champion Kristen Santos-Griswold and current world No. 2 Corinne Stoddard, will compete in the B Final for ranking purposes.