On Saturday, March 18, Jorien ter Mors announced her retirement from speed skating. The 25-year old Dutch athlete won bronze medals in the 1,500 meters and team pursuit at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. At those same games, she finished fifth as part of the 3,000-meter relay team. Now having retired from both sports after winning two medals each in Sochi and now Pyeongchang (winning gold as part of the 5,000 meter relay team), ter Mors is ready to embark on a new career path – one that does not involve ice skates!
Following her retirement, ter Mors said “I’ve made Olympic history twice already by becoming the first woman to win medals in two sports in one Winter Olympics and I’m super proud of that, but it’s time for me to focus on my new career now. I don’t know what it will be just yet — we’ll have to wait and see — but I’m excited about the future.”
“I have been thinking about this for some time,” Ter Mors wrote. “There is no doubt there were moments of joy and happiness at what I did.”
However, the year leading up to the 2018 Games was characterized by doubt, with Ter Mors ultimately deciding to compete in Pyeongchang.
“For my family it was not always easy,” the 27-year-old explained. “They had to make many sacrifices.”
Ter Mors won short track silver at Vancouver 2010 before winning 1000m gold at Pyeongchang 2018, becoming the first woman ever to win medals in two different sports at one Winter Olympics.
She also finished second in the 1500m and third in the 3000m relay.
The Dutchwoman has not yet decided what she will do after retiring from speedskating but joked that she could become an ambassadress for a coal company if need be.
“I am turning 28 in two weeks,” she said. “The last years I have focused on short track and speed skating in an extreme way.”
Ter Mors is the second big name to retire from speedskating recently, following in the footsteps of Dutch 500m star Sjinkie Knegt.
Sjinkie Knegt also announced his retirement recently after failing to make it past the quarterfinals at Pyeongchang, where he had finished seventh.
“It was time for me to stop,” said the 28-year-old, who won silver in the 3x1000m relay at Sochi 2014 alongside Sven Kramer and Koen Verweij.
“I am happy with my career but at some point you have to step out of the boat.”
