American speed skating sensation Jordan Stolz delivered another historic performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, capturing his second gold medal of the Games in the men’s 500-meter event with an Olympic-record time of 33.77 seconds.
The victory marked the first time an American man has won Olympic gold in the 500m since Joey Cheek triumphed at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Stolz’s performance reaffirmed his dominance in sprint speed skating and strengthened his growing reputation as one of the sport’s brightest young stars.
Paired once again with Dutch rival Jenning de Boo, Stolz exploded off the start line but trailed slightly early in the race — a familiar pattern for the American. By the final lap, however, Stolz found his rhythm and powered across the finish line 0.11 seconds ahead of de Boo, whose silver-medal time also eclipsed the previous Olympic record.
The two rivals had already gone 1-2 in the 1000m earlier in the Games, both skating faster than the previous Olympic mark in that distance as well.
Stolz’s winning time shaved roughly half a second off the Olympic record set by Gao Tingyu at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The time was just 0.08 seconds shy of Stolz’s personal best of 33.69, recorded in Calgary, and not far from the standing world record of 33.61.
“If we were racing in Salt Lake City, they might have broken the world record,” U.S. teammate Cooper McLeod said, referencing the famously fast high-altitude ice.
Since bursting onto the international scene at age 17 with two surprise victories at the 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials, Stolz has dominated sprint speed skating worldwide.
In the 500m alone, Stolz now owns: Two world titles, The last two World Cup titles, The junior world record, The sea-level senior world record
During the 2025–26 World Cup season, he added track records in Heerenveen, Netherlands, and Hamar, Norway. He is also a two-time world champion and reigning World Cup champion in both the 1000m and 1500m.
Stolz will continue his Olympic campaign in the 1500m on Feb. 19 before closing the Games in the mass start on Feb. 21, an event he added to his program this season.
With two gold medals already secured in Milan, Stolz now has a chance to join fellow Wisconsin legend Eric Heiden as the only Americans to win three or more gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Heiden famously swept all five of his events at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Stolz, who trains in the Netherlands during the offseason, has earned admiration in the Dutch speed skating community — and the nickname “Straaljager,” meaning “fighter jet.”
De Boo, just four months older than Stolz, has emerged as his primary rival. The Dutch skater denied Stolz a third consecutive 500m world title in 2025 while Stolz was recovering from pneumonia and strep throat. De Boo also defeated Stolz twice during the World Cup season, including a victory at the Salt Lake City opener.
Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil claimed bronze, earning Canada its first Olympic medal in the men’s 500m since the 1998 Winter Olympics, when Jeremy Wotherspoon won silver and Kevin Overland took bronze.
McLeod finished 22nd, while fellow American Zach Stoppelmoor placed 27th.
Speed skating competition in Milan continues Sunday, Feb. 15, with the men’s team pursuit qualifying round and the women’s 500m, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET — as Stolz’s pursuit of Olympic history continues.
