Bart Swings

Bart Swings (born 12 February 1991) is a Belgian long track speed skater and inline speed skater.[2] He is the 2022 Olympic champion on the speed skating mass start. Swings won Belgium's first gold medal in 74 years[3] and is the first Belgian athlete ever to have won two medals in the Winter Olympics.[4] In 2023 he won the Belgian National Sports Merit Award, the highest trophy for a sportsperson or team in Belgium.[5]

Bart Swings
Swings in 2020
Personal information
NationalityBelgian
Born (1991-02-12) 12 February 1991
Herent, Belgium
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Weight67 kg (148 lb)
Sport
CountryBelgium
SportSpeed skating
Event(s)Mass start
ClubTeam IKO
Turned pro2010
Medal record
Representing  Belgium
Men's speed skating
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2022 BeijingMass start
Silver medal – second place2018 PyeongchangMass start
World Single Distances Championships
Gold medal – first place2023 HeerenveenMass start
Bronze medal – third place2021 HeerenveenMass start
Bronze medal – third place2023 Heerenveen5000 m
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
Bronze medal – third place2013 HamarAllround
Bronze medal – third place2022 HamarAllround
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2020 HeerenveenMass start
Gold medal – first place2022 HeerenveenMass start
Silver medal – second place2016 MinskAllround
Bronze medal – third place2017 HeerenveenAllround
Bronze medal – third place2023 HamarAllround
Men's inline speed skating
World Games
Gold medal – first place2013 CaliTrack 10k elimination
Gold medal – first place2013 CaliRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2017 WrocławRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2017 WrocławRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamTrack 10k points
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamTrack 10k elimination
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamRoad 15k elimination
Silver medal – second place2017 WrocławTrack 1000 m
Silver medal – second place2013 CaliTrack 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place2013 CaliRoad 10k points
Bronze medal – third place2022 BirminghamTrack 1000 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2009 HainingTrack 10k points
Gold medal – first place2010 GuarneRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2010 GuarneRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2011 YeosuTrack 10k points
Gold medal – first place2012 A. PicenoRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2012 A. PicenoRoad marathon
Gold medal – first place2012 A. PicenoRoad 5k relay
Gold medal – first place2013 OstendTrack 10k points
Gold medal – first place2013 OstendTrack 3k relay
Gold medal – first place2013 OstendTrack 1000 m
Gold medal – first place2013 OstendRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2018 Arnhem-HeerdeRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2019 BarcelonaRoad 15k elimination
Gold medal – first place2019 BarcelonaTrack 10k points
Gold medal – first place2019 BarcelonaTrack 1000 m
Gold medal – first place2023 Montecchio MaggioreTrack 1000m
Gold medal – first place2023 Montecchio MaggioreRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2023 Montecchio MaggioreRoad 15k elimination
Gold medal – first place2023 Montecchio MaggioreRoad marathon
Silver medal – second place2009 HainingRoad 20k elimination
Silver medal – second place2010 GuarneTrack 20k elimination
Silver medal – second place2010 GuarneTrack 10k points
Silver medal – second place2011 YeosuTrack 15k elimination
Silver medal – second place2011 YeosuRoad 20k elimination
Silver medal – second place2011 YeosuRoad 10k points
Silver medal – second place2012 A. PicenoTrack 10k points
Silver medal – second place2018 Arnhem-HeerdeTrack 10k elimination
Silver medal – second place2019 BarcelonaRoad marathon
Silver medal – second place2019 BarcelonaRoad 10k elimination
Silver medal – second place2023 Montecchio MaggioreTrack 10k elimination
Bronze medal – third place2010 GuarneRoad marathon
Bronze medal – third place2011 YeosuTrack 3k relay
Bronze medal – third place2011 YeosuRoad 5k relay
Bronze medal – third place2012 A. PicenoTrack 20k elimination
Bronze medal – third place2013 OstendRoad marathon
Bronze medal – third place2018 Arnhem-HeerdeRoad 10k points
Bronze medal – third place2018 Arnhem-HeerdeTrack 15k elimination
Bronze medal – third place2019 BarcelonaRoad 10k points
Bronze medal – third place2019 BarcelonaTrack 3000 m relay
Bronze medal – third place2023 Montecchio MaggioreTrack 10k points-elim
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2009 OstendTrack 1000 m
Gold medal – first place2009 OstendTrack 10k points-elim
Gold medal – first place2009 OstendTrack 3k relay
Gold medal – first place2009 OstendRoad 5k relay
Gold medal – first place2009 OstendRoad marathon
Gold medal – first place2010 S. BenedettoTrack 1000 m
Gold medal – first place2010 S. BenedettoTrack 10k points-elim
Gold medal – first place2010 S. BenedettoRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2010 S. BenedettoRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2010 S. BenedettoRoad 5k relay
Gold medal – first place2011 HeerdeTrack 1000 m
Gold medal – first place2011 HeerdeTrack 10k points-elim
Gold medal – first place2011 HeerdeTrack 15k elimination
Gold medal – first place2011 HeerdeRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2011 HeerdeRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2011 HeerdeRoad 5k relay
Gold medal – first place2012 SzegedTrack 500 m
Gold medal – first place2013 AlmereRoad marathon
Gold medal – first place2014 GeisingenTrack 1000 m
Gold medal – first place2014 GeisingenTrack 3k relay
Gold medal – first place2014 GeisingenRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2014 GeisingenRoad 5k relay
Gold medal – first place2015 WörglTrack 1000 m
Gold medal – first place2015 WörglTrack 10k points-elim
Gold medal – first place2015 WörglRoad marathon
Gold medal – first place2016 HeerdeRoad 20k elimination
Gold medal – first place2017 LagosRoad marathon
Gold medal – first place2017 LagosTrack 3k relay
Gold medal – first place2018 OstendRoad marathon
Gold medal – first place2022 L'AquilaTrack 10k points-elim
Gold medal – first place2022 L'AquilaRoad 10k points
Gold medal – first place2022 L'AquilaRoad 15k elimination
Silver medal – second place2009 OstendTrack 15k elimination
Silver medal – second place2010 S. BenedettoTrack 3k relay
Silver medal – second place2015 WörglTrack 15k elimination
Silver medal – second place2015 WörglRoad 10k points
Silver medal – second place2015 WörglRoad 20k elimination
Silver medal – second place2016 HeerdeTrack 1000 m
Silver medal – second place2017 LagosTrack 1000 m
Silver medal – second place2017 LagosTrack 10 k points
Silver medal – second place2022 L'AquilaTrack 10k elimination
Silver medal – second place2022 L'AquilaTrack 3k relay
Silver medal – second place2022 L'AquilaRoad marathon
Bronze medal – third place2009 OstendRoad 20k elimination
Bronze medal – third place2012 SzegedTrack 15k elimination
Bronze medal – third place2012 SzegedTrack 3k relay
Bronze medal – third place2014 GeisingenRoad 5k relay
Bronze medal – third place2015 WörglTrack 3k relay

Career

At his first world championship speed skating event, the 2011 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships in Inzell, Germany, he finished 17th in the 5000 m.[6]

Swings in 2012

At the 2012 World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Moscow, he finished 9th overall, with a personal record at the 500 m and a national record at the 1500 m.[7]

At the 2013 World Allround Speed Skating Championships in Hamar, he finished 3rd overall and took the Bronze medal back home to Belgium.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, he won a silver medal in the 1st ever Mass start at the Winter Olympics. Four years later, he won the gold medal in this event. It was Belgium's second-ever gold medal in the Winter Olympics history and the first for an individual male athlete.

At the 2019 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships, he took the lead in the men's mass start but crashed on the final lap, costing him the podium.

At the 2021 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships, he won bronze in the men's mass start, winning his first-ever medal in a World Single Distances Speed Skating Championship event.

At the 2022 Berlin Marathon, he crossed the finish line in 56:45 minutes and set a new course record. At the same time, he secured his eighth victory at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON inline skating.

At the World Games, he won seven medals, including four gold. He won two gold, one silver and one bronze at The World Games 2013 in Cali, Colombia and two gold and one silver at the World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland.

Swings is currently studying for an engineer's degree at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.[8]

His brother Maarten Swings also competes in inline speed skating and speed skating, participating in the inline skating world championships and qualifying for the ISU Speed Skating World Cup.

Personal records
Personal records[9]
Men's speed skating
Event Result Date Location Notes
500 m36.467 November 2015Olympic Oval, Calgary
1000 m1.09.2814 November 2015Olympic Oval, Calgary
1500 m1:42.4815 November 2015Olympic Oval, CalgaryCurrent Belgian record.[10]
3000 m3:36.9819 December 2020Thialf, HeerenveenCurrent Belgian record.[10]
5000 m6:08.763 December 2021Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake CityCurrent Belgian record.[10]
10000 m12:57.3121 November 2015Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake CityCurrent Belgian record.[10]
Team pursuit3:45.6416 November 2013Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake CityCurrent Belgian record (with Ferre Spruyt and Maarten Swings).[11]

As of 23 November 2015, his highest ranking on the all-time Adelskalender is 11th.[12]

References
  1. "Interview with Bart Swings, leader of Powerslide Matter World Team". OLS roller-skating magazine. online-skating.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. "Tweede wereldtitel voor Bart Swings". Het Nieuwsblad. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  3. "Winter Olympics: Belgium win first gold for 74 years". BBC News. 20 February 2022. p. 1. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  4. "Bart Swing receives his gold medal at the Winter Olympics". VRT News. 19 February 2022. p. 1. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  5. "Olympisch schaatskampioen Bart Swings krijgt dit jaar de Nationale Trofee voor Sportverdienste". Sporza. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  6. Jacobs, Hans (12 March 2011). "Bart Swings maakt knap WK-debuut op ijs". Het Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  7. "Bart Swings negende op WK allround, vijfde keer goud voor Kramer". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Belga. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  8. Vandeweghe, Hans (11 March 2011). "* Sport Gevonden: Belg met schaatstalent". De Standaard. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  9. "Bart Swings". speedskatingresults.com. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  10. "National Records – Belgium (BEL)". speedskatingresults.com. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  11. "België met nieuwe recordtijd elfde in ploegenachtervolging". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Belga. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  12. Stenlund, Evert. "Adel". Retrieved 23 November 2015.
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