Femke Kok won the women's 500-meter speedskating gold medal at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday, February 15, finishing in 36.49 seconds and setting an Olympic record. The 25-year-old Dutch skater, who had been unbeaten in the 500m since February 2024 and holds the world record, defeated defending Olympic champion Erin Jackson of the United States in a head-to-head final heat. Kok's teammate Jutta Leerdam, who had won gold in the 1,000m earlier in the Games, took silver with a time of 37.15 seconds. Japan's Miho Takagi earned bronze in 37.27 seconds, her ninth career Olympic medal. Jackson finished fifth in 37.32 seconds, just 0.05 seconds off the podium. The result reversed the 1,000m standings from six days earlier, where Leerdam had won gold and Kok took silver. Kok's margin of victory (0.66 seconds) was the widest in an Olympic 500m in 54 years. Leerdam, who has over six million Instagram followers and is engaged to boxer Jake Paul, stated after the race that she uses her social media presence to inspire young girls to take up speedskating and that social media helps rather than distracts from her athletic performance.