Ireen Wüst facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ireen Wüst

Wüst in 2013
Personal information
Nationality	Dutch
Born	(1986-04-01) 1 April 1986 (age 39) Goirle, Netherlands
Height	1.68 m
Weight	63 kg
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Sport	Speed skating
Event(s)	1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m
Club	IJsclub Tilburg TVM Schaatsploeg Reggeborgh
Turned pro	2005
Retired	2022
Medal record Speed skating Representing the  Netherlands Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 6 5 2 World Allround 7 4 2 World Sprint 0 1 0 World Distance 15 15 1 European Allround 5 4 2 European Distance 3 2 0 Olympic Games Gold 2006 Turin 3000 m Gold 2010 Vancouver 1500 m Gold 2014 Sochi 3000 m Gold 2014 Sochi Team pursuit Gold 2018 Pyeongchang 1500 m Gold 2022 Beijing 1500 m Silver 2014 Sochi 1000 m Silver 2014 Sochi 1500 m Silver 2014 Sochi 5000m Silver 2018 Pyeongchang 3000m Silver 2018 Pyeongchang Team pursuit Bronze 2006 Turin 1500m Bronze 2022 Beijing Team pursuit World Allround Championships Gold 2007 Heerenveen Allround Gold 2011 Calgary Allround Gold 2012 Moscow Allround Gold 2013 Hamar Allround Gold 2014 Heerenveen Allround Gold 2017 Hamar Allround Gold 2020 Hamar Allround Silver 2008 Berlin Allround Silver 2015 Calgary Allround Silver 2016 Berlin Allround Silver 2018 Amsterdam Allround Bronze 2009 Hamar Allround Bronze 2010 Heerenveen Allround World Sprint Championships Silver 2007 Hamar Sprint World Single Distance Championships Gold 2007 Salt Lake City 1000 m Gold 2007 Salt Lake City 1500 m Gold 2008 Nagano Team pursuit Gold 2011 Inzell 1500m Gold 2011 Inzell 3000m Gold 2012 Heerenveen Team pursuit Gold 2013 Sochi 1500m Gold 2013 Sochi 3000m Gold 2013 Sochi Team pursuit Gold 2016 Kolomna Team pursuit Gold 2017 Gangneung 3000m Gold 2017 Gangneung Team pursuit Gold 2019 Inzell 1500 m Gold 2020 Salt Lake City 1500 m Gold 2021 Heerenveen Team pursuit Silver 2007 Salt Lake City Team pursuit Silver 2009 Vancouver 1500m Silver 2009 Vancouver Team pursuit Silver 2011 Inzell 1000m Silver 2011 Inzell Team pursuit Silver 2012 Heerenveen 1500m Silver 2013 Sochi 1000m Silver 2013 Sochi 5000m Silver 2015 Heerenveen 1500m Silver 2015 Heerenveen 3000m Silver 2015 Heerenveen Team pursuit Silver 2016 Kolomna 3000m Silver 2017 Gangneung 1500m Silver 2019 Inzell Team pursuit Silver 2020 Salt Lake City Team pursuit Bronze 2012 Heerenveen 3000m European Allround Championships Gold 2008 Kolomna Allround Gold 2013 Heerenveen Allround Gold 2014 Hamar Allround Gold 2015 Chelyabinsk Allround Gold 2017 Heerenveen Allround Silver 2007 Collalbo Allround Silver 2010 Hamar Allround Silver 2011 Collalbo Allround Silver 2016 Minsk Allround Bronze 2006 Hamar Allround Bronze 2012 Budapest Allround European Single Distance Championships Gold 2020 Heerenveen 1500 m Gold 2020 Heerenveen Team pursuit Gold 2022 Heerenveen Team pursuit Silver 2020 Heerenveen Team sprint Silver 2022 Heerenveen 1500 m

Ireen Wüst is a famous Dutch speed skater. She is one of the most successful speed skaters in history. Ireen has won many medals at the Winter Olympic Games. She is known for winning at least one gold medal in five Olympics in a row! This is a very rare achievement.

Ireen is special because she is both the youngest and oldest Dutch speed skater to win an Olympic gold medal. She won her first gold at age 19 in 2006. She won her last gold in 2022. She has won a total of 13 Olympic medals. This makes her the most successful speed skater ever at the Olympics. She has also won many world and European championships.

Ireen's Skating Journey

Ireen Wüst started her speed skating career early. In November 2003, she first competed in the Dutch Single Distance Championships. She finished ninth in two events. By the end of that season, she won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships.

The next year, she qualified for the World Cup. She also earned a spot in her first big senior competition. This was the 2005 European Championships. She finished fourth there. Then, she came in fifth at the 2005 World Allround Championships. After that, she became the World Junior Champion in Finland.

Early Career Success (2005–2006)

Before the 2005-2006 season, Ireen joined the TVM team. She started training with coach Gerard Kemkers. At the Dutch Single Distance Championships, she won three gold medals. These wins helped her join the Dutch Olympic Team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Before the Olympics, she won a bronze medal at the 2006 European Championships.

Olympic Games in Turin (2006)

At the 2006 Olympics, Ireen won her first gold medal in the 3000 metres. She became the youngest Dutch Winter Olympics champion ever. She also won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres. She finished fourth in the 1000 metres. After the season, Ireen was named the best Dutch Sportswoman of the Year.

More Wins and World Titles (2006–2008)

Ireen continued her success in the 2006-2007 season. She won two titles at the Dutch Distance Championships. She also won the Dutch Allround Championships. At the 2007 European Championships, she won a silver medal. The next weekend, she won another silver at the World Sprint Championships.

She became the World Allround Champion in 2007 in front of her home crowd. She also won the World Cup in the 1500m. At the 2007 World Distance Championships, she won gold in the 1000m and 1500m. She also won a silver medal with her team in the team pursuit.

In 2008, Ireen won the European allround title. She also won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the World Distance Championships.

Olympic Games in Vancouver (2010)

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Ireen won another gold medal. This time, it was in the 1500 metres event.

Olympic Games in Sochi (2014)

Ireen Wüst (left) with teammates Jorien ter Mors (center) and Lotte van Beek (right) at the women's team pursuit podium during the 2014 Olympic Games

The 2014 Winter Olympics were very successful for Ireen. She won two gold medals. These were in the 3000 metres and the team pursuit. She also won three silver medals. These were in the 1000m, 1500m, and 5000m. This made her the most decorated athlete at those Games.

Olympic Games in Pyeongchang (2018)

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Ireen won a gold medal in the 1500 metres. She also won a silver medal in the 3000 metres. This was her fourth straight medal in the 1500m at the Olympics. It was also her fourth Olympics in a row where she won an individual gold medal. She became the first Dutch athlete to win five gold medals and ten medals overall at the Olympics. She also became the first speed skater to win eleven Olympic medals.

Olympic Games in Beijing (2022)

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Ireen won her sixth Olympic gold medal. She won the 1500 metres event. She set a new Olympic record time. This made her the first athlete to win individual gold medals at five different Olympics. Her Olympic career spanned 16 years!

Personal Records

Ireen Wüst has set impressive personal best times in her career:

Medals Won

Ireen Wüst has won many medals throughout her career. Here is a summary of her achievements:

Championship	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Dutch Single Distances	18	12	9
Dutch Allround	15	6	6
Dutch Sprint	10	5	2
European Allround	21	16	8
Olympic Games	6	5	2
World Single Distances	15	15	1
World Allround	22	26	11
World Sprint Classification	1	6	0
World Cup	48	41	22
World Cup GWC	9	7	10
World Junior	4	5	1

Images for kids

• 

  Wüst in 2013

• 

  Wüst (left) with teammates Jorien ter Mors (center) and Lotte van Beek (right) at the women's team pursuit podium during the 2014 Olympic Games

See also

In Spanish: Ireen Wüst para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists