Olympics: American Jordan Stolz wins men's speedskating event in record time to take gold

MILAN — Jordan Stolz pictured this moment most of his life, ever since he was 5 years old, learning to skate on a frozen pond in his Wisconsin backyard after falling in love with speedskating during the 2010 Winter Olympics — and hoping to one day step atop the podium himself. So what was the little hassle of a 10-or-so-minute wait to make sure this first speedskating gold medal would be his Wednesday? Stolz needed to hold off on celebrating until another competitor got the chance for a re-skate, then soon enough was able to smile while leaning forward to receive his gold for winning the men's 1,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Games in an Olympic-record time. Now Stolz will hope to keep going and add to his collection of trophies as he entered three more events in Milan. Skating in the next-to-last pairing at Milano Speed Skating Stadium, a temporary facility constructed for these Olympics that has been producing fast times so far, Stolz finished in 1 minute, 6.28 seconds. The 21-year-old didn't threaten his world record of 1:05.37 but did better the Olympic standard of 1:07.18 that had stood since 2002 — before Stolz was born. All four long track speedskating races in Milan have been won in the fastest times ever turned in at an Olympics. Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands was a half-second slower than Stolz and took the silver medal. No one else came within a full second of Stolz's time. Zhongyan Ning of China got the bronze. Stolz's medal was his first at this level: As a 17-year-old at the 2022 Beijing Games, Stolz came in 14th in the 1,000 and 13th in the 500. It also was the first medal of any sort in the men's 1,000 for the United States since the 2010 Vancouver Games. That's when Shani Davis — a mentor to Stolz — won his second consecutive gold in that event, and Chad Hedrick took the bronze. Dutch men had won the 1,000 at each of the past three Winter Games. With Eric Heiden, the only speedskater to win five golds at one Olympics, sitting next to rapper Snoop Dogg in the stands, Stolz pulled ahead of de Boo by the time one full lap was done. Then de Boo moved in front. But Stolz took the lead at the final corner and crossed first with his hands on his knees. He soon was celebrating with an understated pump of his right hand. A full-on victory lap toting an American flag had to be put on hold for a bit, though: First, the day's last heat needed to be held. And then there was a 10-minute delay before Joep Wennermars of the Netherlands was given the chance at a re-skate because he had been bumped during his original heat. But Wennermars didn't come close to beating Stolz, who entered the day as a big favorite — and came through in the clutch. Stolz not only holds the 1,000 world record he set in January 2024 but is also a two-time world champion at the distance. Plus, he went 5-for-5 on the World Cup circuit this season in the event, confirming his status as the man to beat at the Winter Games. In a surprising scene at the U.S. Olympic trials at Milwaukee in January, Stolz fell to the ice a few strides into the 1,000, then popped back up and ended up with the third-best time. No such issue when it mattered the most Wednesday. This race was Stolz's first of his four scheduled events in Milan — and it is not unrealistic to think he could leave Italy with four gold medals, given his track record and dominance of late. After two days off, he also is entered in the 500 meters on Saturday, the 1,500 on Feb. 19, and the mass start on Feb. 21, the final day of speedskating at these Olympics. Stolz's name is often mentioned alongside that of Heiden, the superstar who is the only speedskater to claim five long-track gold medals at a single Winter Games. Heiden won five individual events at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics: the 500, 1,000, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000. Stolz says he's flattered to hear about such comparisons, but also is quick to note that what Heiden accomplished was remarkably different, given his participation at all five of those distances. Stolz might add the longer distances to his repertoire down the road; for now, he is the best there is in the sprints. Dutch men had won the 1,000 at each of the past three Winter Games.