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U.S. speedskater Jordan Stolz made a bid for his fourth medal at the 2026 Winter Games in the men’s mass start final, held on Saturday.
MILAN, Italy — The curtain fell on the speedskating competitions at the Milan Cortina Games with a dramatic twist.
The men’s mass start final commenced at 10:40 a.m. Eastern Time, featuring Team USA’s sole contender, Jordan Stolz, who started in the seventh position.
In a surprising turn of events, Stolz, who had hopes of claiming a third gold medal at these 2026 Winter Games, found himself outside the podium standings.
Men’s mass start results
The men’s and women’s mass start events were among the last to distribute medals before the Games conclude with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
The men’s and women’s mass start events were among the final batch of medals to be awarded before the Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
Stolz, who qualified in fourth place earlier during the semifinals, finished in fourth place in the final.
The Netherland’s Jorrit Bergsma won gold and Denmark’s Viktor Hald Thorup won silver. Italy’s Andrea Giovannini won bronze.
Team USA athlete Ethan Cepuran was the only other American to qualify for the men’s semifinal event, but he did not advance to the final medal event, falling short of the final by one point.
This was Stolz’s fourth and final Olympic event in Italy. He previously won gold in the 500 and 1,000 meters before taking silver in the 1,500 meters. He didn’t compete in the 5,000-meter or 10,000-meter events.
How does mass start speed skating work?
Athletes, between 16 and 24 total, line up together on the long track and start at the same time. They race for 16 laps, and the first three skaters to cross the line take gold, silver and bronze.
In most cases, like other speed skating events, the pace starts slow and picks up toward the final laps. When people begin to try to overtake their competitors, it can lead to slips, falls and disqualifications.