Ireen Wüst

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 team mate Renate Groenewold.

At the 2006 Olympics her first distance was the 3000 metres[2] where Wüst beat Groenewold and Cindy Klassen of Canada and became the youngest olympic champion from the Netherlands in the history of the Winter Olympics. She missed out 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.[3]

After the end of the season Wüst was elected as the best Dutch Sportswoman of the Year 2006.[4] She was also elected female skater of the year.

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 next 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 1500m after winning two of the six races, as well as the 1000m during the World Cup Final in Calgary. At the 2007 World Distance Championships she won a gold medal in the 1000m, breaking the national record, and another in the 1500m. With Renate Groenewold and Paulien van Deutekom she won silver in the team pursuit behind Canada.

After a difficult start to the season Wüst won the European allround title in January 2008.[5] 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.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics she won a gold medal in the 1500 metres.[6]

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.[7][8]

At the 2018 Winter Olympics she won a gold medal in the 1500 metres and a silver medal in the 3000 metres. Her 1500m 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.

updated March 2020

Championship	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Dutch Single Distances [in Dutch]	18	9	6	35
Dutch Allround Classification [in Dutch]	4	1	1	6
Dutch Allround Single Distances] [in Dutch]	11	5	5	21
Dutch Sprint Classification [in Dutch]	1	1	0	2
Dutch Sprint Single Distances [in Dutch]	9	4	1	14
European Allround Classification	5	4	2	11
European Allround Single Distances	16	12	6	34
Olympic Games	5	5	1	11
World Single Distances	14	15	1	30
World Allround	7	4	2	13
World Allround Single Distances	17	22	9	48
World Sprint Classification	0	1	0	1
World Sprint Single Distances	1	5	0	6
World Cup 500 meter	0	0	0	0
World Cup 1000 meter	4	9	6	19
World Cup 1500 meter	25	12	6	43
World Cup 3000/5000 meter	6	6	7	19
World Cup Team pursuit	13	8	1	22
World Cup Single Distances total	48	35	20	103
World Cup classification	4	2	7	13
World Junior	1	1	0	2