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In a thrilling display of athletic prowess, the men’s 500-meter speed skating final at the 2026 Winter Olympics saw multiple Olympic records shattered as competitors raced to the finish line.
MILAN, Metropolitan City of Milan — American speed skater Jordan Stolz captured his second gold medal of the Games, setting a new Olympic benchmark in the men’s 500-meter speed skating event on Saturday. The 21-year-old from Wisconsin clocked a remarkable 33.77 seconds, etching his name into the record books with this unprecedented performance.
Stolz was not the sole American showcasing his talents on the ice. Fellow countryman Cooper McLeod completed the race in 34.90 seconds, while Olympic newcomer Zach Stoppelmoor crossed the line at 35.42 seconds. Despite their efforts, both McLeod and Stoppelmoor encountered false starts, with Stoppelmoor narrowly missing out on a podium finish.
The 500-meter dash remains the pinnacle of speed in Olympic speed skating, demanding exceptional skill and precision from its competitors.
The 500-meter is the fastest event in speed skating at the Olympics.
The Netherlands’ Jenning de Boo finished 33.88. Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil had set an Olympic record earlier in the event with a time of 34.26.
The last time an American man won gold in the 500 meters was Joey Cheek at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy.
In the 500 meters, Stolz has two world titles, the last two World Cup titles, the junior world record, and the sea-level senior world record. His personal-best time of 33.69 seconds is just 0.08 seconds off the world record skated by Pavel Kulizhnikov in 2019, according to NBC.
Stolz won gold in the men’s 1,000 meters on Wednesday and set an Olympic record time with a blistering closing stretch.
Stolz’s gold medal on Wednesday in the men’s 1,000 meters speed skating event was Team USA’s first since Shani Davis won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2010.
The twin triumphs allowed Stolz to join Eric Heiden as the only men to complete the 500-1,000 double in speedskating at one Olympics.
When does Jordan Stolz compete next in the Olympics?
The soft-spoken Stolz acknowledges that, yes, his aims are high, and, sure, he is flattered by the comparisons to Heiden. But Stolz, who isn’t entered in the 5,000 or 10,000 in Milan, also knows he isn’t trying to recreate the same sort of unprecedented and all-encompassing performance turned in by Heiden.
Still, Stolz does have a real shot at the four medals, maybe even four golds, he is seeking at his second Winter Games.
At Beijing in 2022, just 17 years old, Stolz finished 13th in the 1,000 and 14th in the 500. In the time since, though, he has established himself as the best in the world at his sport, including two world titles each at the 500, the 1,000 and the 1,500. And right now, Stolz is so far living up to the outsized expectations and accompanying pressure that follow his every stride on the ice at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, a temporary facility created for this event.
Two races, two golds, two Olympic records.
Now there are two more to go for the six-time world champion: the 1,500 meters on Thursday, and the mass start on Feb. 21.
The last man with three gold medals in speedskating at one Winter Games was Norway’s Johann Olav Koss, who won the 1,500, the 5,000 and the 10,000 at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.
Stolz took to the ice to warm up Saturday about 2 1/2 hours before his race. He paused at one point to plop himself down for a seat on the low boards along the ice, retying his black-and-green skates and smiling while chatting with his coach, Bob Corby.
No sign of nerves. None at all.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.