Heather Bergsma

{{Redirect|Heather Richardson|the historian and writer|Heather Cox Richardson}}

{{Infobox speed skater

| name = Heather Bergsma

| birth_name = Heather Richardson

| image = WSDSSC Kolomna 2016 - Richardson-Bergsma.JPG

| image_size =

| caption = 2016 WSD Speed Skating Championships

| headercolor = lightsteelblue

| country = {{USA}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|3|20}}

| birth_place = High Point, North Carolina, U.S.

| height = 5 ft 10 in

| weight = 149 lb

| spouse = Jorrit Bergsma

| show-medals = no

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country|the {{USA}}}}

}}

Heather Bergsma (née Richardson; born March 20, 1989) is an American former speed skater who competed between 2006 and 2020.

Career

Bergsma is a native of North Carolina. She represented the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where she finished 6th in 500 metres, 9th in the 1000 metres, and 16th in the 1500 metres.{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Heather Richardson |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ri/heather-richardson-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418105730/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ri/heather-richardson-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |access-date=September 11, 2012}} At the 2011 World Single Distance Championships in Inzell, Germany, she won a bronze medal in the 1000 metres.{{cite web |url=http://live.isuresults.eu/2010-2011/Inzell/r1413.htm |title=ESSENT ISU WORLD DISTANCES CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 – Result 1000m Ladies – Rankings as of Mar 12 2011 12:48PM |date=March 12, 2011 |publisher=International Skating Union |access-date=July 13, 2013}} She also placed 8th in the 500 metres,{{cite web |url=http://live.isuresults.eu/2010-2011/Inzell/r1411.htm |title=ESSENT ISU WORLD DISTANCES CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 – Result 500m Ladies – Rankings as of Mar 13 2011 1:43PM |date=March 13, 2011 |publisher=International Skating Union |access-date=July 13, 2013}} and was part of the team pursuit team that finished in 8th place.{{cite web |url=http://live.isuresults.eu/2010-2011/Inzell/r1417.htm |title=ESSENT ISU WORLD DISTANCES CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 – Result Team Pursuit Ladies – Rankings as of Mar 13 2011 4:20PM |date=March 13, 2011 |publisher=International Skating Union |access-date=July 13, 2013}}

On January 26–27, 2013, Bergsma won the gold medal at the 2013 World Sprint Championships in Salt Lake City, United States.{{cite web |url=http://live.isuresults.eu/2012-2013/saltlakecity/standings2.htm |title=Essent ISU World Sprint Championships 2013 – Classification Ladies – Rankings as of Jan 27 2013 3:58PM |date=January 27, 2013 |publisher=International Skating Union |access-date=July 13, 2013}} She has since won several world championship medals,{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingstats.com/index.php?file=skater&code=1989032001 |title=Heather Richardson |publisher=www.speedskatingstats.com |access-date=September 8, 2023}} and earned numerous podium placings in the World Cup.{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingstats.com/index.php?file=skater&code=1989032001&item=wc |title=Heather Richardson |publisher=www.speedskatingstats.com |access-date=September 8, 2023}} At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the team pursuit.

Bergsma held the American record on the 500 metres distance from 2011 to 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.speedskatingresults.com/index.php?p=39&n=42&d=500 |title=National Records – United States (USA) – Women's 500m |publisher=www.speedskatingresults.com |access-date=September 8, 2023}} She is the current world record holder in the 2 x 500 meters,{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingstats.com/index.php?file=records&g=w&event=2x500 |title=Evolution of the world record 2x500 meters Women |publisher=www.speedskatingstats.com |access-date=January 11, 2016}} and held the 1500 metres world record from 2015 to 2019,{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingstats.com/index.php?file=records&g=w&event=1500 |title=Evolution of the world record 1500 meters Women |publisher=www.speedskatingstats.com |access-date=January 24, 2020}} and also briefly held the 1000 metres world record in November 2015,{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingstats.com/index.php?file=records&g=w&event=1000 |title=Evolution of the world record 1000 meters Women |publisher=www.speedskatingstats.com |access-date=November 22, 2015}} and the sprint combination world record from 2013 to 2017.{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingstats.com/index.php?file=records&g=w&event=sprint |title=Evolution of the world record Sprint combination Women |publisher=www.speedskatingstats.com |access-date=April 28, 2017}}

She announced her retirement from skating in February 2020.{{cite news |url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/02/18/heather-bergsma-retires-speed-skating/ |title=Heather Bergsma, world champion speed skater, retires |newspaper=NBC Sports |date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=March 1, 2020}}

Personal life

Bergsma married Dutch speed skater and marathon skater Jorrit Bergsma in May 2015, and competed as Heather Richardson-Bergsma the following season.{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingresults.com/index.php?p=17&s=10287 |title=Heather Bergsma |publisher=www.speedskatingresults.com |access-date=April 28, 2017}}

Speed skating

=Records=

==Personal records==

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|500 m|36.90|November 16, 2013|Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake City|American record until beaten by Erin Jackson on December 3, 2021.}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|2 x 500 m|74.190|December 28, 2013|Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake City|Current world record.}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1000 m|1:12.28|February 26, 2017|Olympic Oval, Calgary|}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1500 m|1:50.85|November 21, 2015|Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake City|World record until beaten by Miho Takagi on March 10, 2019.}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|3000 m|4:05.00|March 7, 2015|Olympic Oval, Calgary|}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|5000 m|7:20.27|March 8, 2015|Olympic Oval, Calgary|}}

==World records==

{{PersonalRecordsTop|type=World|width=75 | ref={{cite web |url=http://www.speedskatingstats.com/index.php?file=skater&code=1989032001&item=wr |title=Heather Richardson |publisher=www.speedskatingstats.com |access-date=January 11, 2016}}}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|2 x 500 m|74.190|December 28, 2013|Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake City|Current world record.}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1000 m|1:12.51|November 14, 2015|Olympic Oval, Calgary|World record until beaten by Brittany Bowe on November 22, 2015.}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1500 m|1:50.85|November 21, 2015|Utah Olympic Oval, Salt Lake City|World record until beaten by Miho Takagi on March 10, 2019.}}

{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|Sprint comb.|147.735|January 19–20, 2013|Olympic Oval, Calgary|World record until beaten by Nao Kodaira on February 25–26, 2017.}}

=Results timeline=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! Season !! World Sprint !! World SD !! World Cup !! Olympic Games
2007–08	25th	Did not participate	53rd 500 m NC 1000 m	rowspan=2 \| Not held
2008–09	20th	16th 2x500 m 15th 1000 m	NC 100 m 28th 500 m 22nd 1000 m NC 1500 m
2009–10	Did not participate	Not held	9th 500 m 9th 1000 m	6th 2x500 m 9th 1000 m 16th 1500 m
2010–11	4th	6th 2x500 m {{bronze3}} 1000 m 8th team pursuit	4th 500 m {{gold1}} 1000 m 14th 1500 m	rowspan=3 \| Not held
2011–12	6th	4th 2x500 m 4th 1000 m 8th team pursuit	9th 500 m {{silver2}} 1000 m 21st 1500 m
2012–13	{{gold1\|link=2013 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships}}	8th 2x500 m 6th 1000 m	5th 500 m {{gold1}} 1000 m 33rd 1500 m
2013–14	{{bronze3\|link=2014 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships}}	Not held	{{silver2}} 500 m {{gold1}} 1000 m 17th 1500 m 1st GWC	8th 2x500 m 7th 1000 m 7th 1500 m 6th team pursuit
2014–15	{{silver2\|link=2015 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships – Women}}	{{gold1}} 2x500 m {{silver2}} 1000 m {{bronze3}} 1500 m	{{bronze3}} 500 m 5th 1000 m {{silver2}} 1500 m 30th 3k/5k 18th mass start 1st GWC	rowspan=2 \| Not held
2015–16	{{silver2\|link=2016 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships – Women}}	5th 2x500 m {{silver2}} 1000 m {{silver2}} 1500 m 13th mass start	{{bronze3}} 500 m {{silver2}} 1000 m {{silver2}} 1500 m 6th mass start

:Note: NC = No classification.

References

External links

{{ISU speed skater|671836|Heather Bergsma}}
{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720163704/http://data.isuresults.eu/riderDetail.asp?id=10692 |date=July 20, 2011 |title=Heather Richardson at the International Skating Union}}
{{Team USA|new_id=heather-bergsma-868093|old_id=BE/Heather-Bergsma|name=Heather Bergsma|archive=20211019122308}}
{{Team USA|old_id=RI/Heather-Richardson|name=Heather Richardson|archive=20160826031341}}
{{Olympics.com profile|heather-richardson|Heather Richardson}}
{{Olympedia|119671|Heather Richardson-Bergsma}}

{{succession box

| title = Women's sprint combination speed skating world record

| before = {{flagicon|CHN}} Yu Jing

| after = {{flagicon|JPN}} Nao Kodaira

| years = January 20, 2013 – February 26, 2017

}}

{{succession box

| title = Women's 2 x 500 m speed skating world record

| before = {{flagicon|GER}} Jenny Wolf

| after = Current holder

| years = December 28, 2013 – present

}}