American Jordan Stolz announced his arrival on the Olympic stage in historic fashion Wednesday, capturing gold in the men’s 1000-meter speed skating event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a record-breaking performance.
The 21-year-old American phenom crossed the finish line in 1 minute, 6.28 seconds, setting a new Olympic record and delivering the largest margin of victory in the event since 1984. Stolz’s time eclipsed the previous Olympic mark of 1:07.18, set by the Netherlands’ Gerard van Velde in 2002 — more than two years before Stolz was born in May 2004.
Despite a characteristically measured start, Stolz surged when it mattered most. He posted the fourth-slowest opening 200-meter split at 16.18 seconds, but accelerated dramatically over the final laps, pulling away to finish half a second ahead of Dutch skater Jenning de Boo, who claimed silver.
The victory carries historic significance for the United States. Stolz’s gold marks the first Olympic gold medal by an American man in speed skating since 2010, and also the first individual Olympic speed skating medal by a U.S. man in that span. His performance continued a remarkable trend in Milan, where all four speed skating races contested so far have been won in Olympic-record time.
Stolz entered the Games as the dominant force in sprint speed skating. Since bursting onto the international scene with two surprise victories at the 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials at age 17, he has compiled an extraordinary résumé. In the 1000m alone, Stolz owns two world championship titles, two World Cup titles, the overall world record, and the sea-level world record. His Milan victory extended a 14-race World Cup unbeaten streak in the distance, including five wins in five races this season, three of them in track-record time.
His dominance extends beyond the 1000m. Stolz is also a two-time world champion and the two-time reigning World Cup champion in both the 500m and 1500m, events he will also contest in Milan. He is additionally scheduled to compete in the mass start, which he added to his program this season.
With multiple events remaining, Stolz has a chance to join one of the most legendary figures in Olympic history. The Wisconsin native could become just the second American athlete ever — after fellow Wisconsin speed skater Eric Heiden — to win three or more gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Heiden famously swept all five of his events at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Stolz is about three weeks older than Heiden was when he won his first Olympic gold.
Next up for Stolz is the men’s 500m on Saturday, Feb. 14, where expectations for another podium finish — and possibly another gold medal — are high. Still, the young champion remains focused on the task ahead rather than the growing spotlight.
For now, Stolz’s Olympic debut has already delivered one of the defining performances of the Milan Cortina Games — and potentially the start of a historic run.
