American speedskating sensation Jordan Stolz delivered a performance for the ages Wednesday night, shattering the Olympic record on his way to a gold medal in the men’s 1,000-meter event at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Competing at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, the 21-year-old Wisconsin native crossed the finish line in 1:06.28, slicing nearly a full second off the previous Olympic record of 1:07.18 set at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. The time was not just fast. It was dominant.
Racing in heat 14, Stolz skated with poise and explosive power, building speed through the backstretch and accelerating out of the final turn with a closing burst that left the field chasing shadows. When the clock stopped, the arena buzzed with disbelief.
Dutch rival Jenning de Boo secured silver in 1:06.78, while China’s Zhongyan Ning claimed bronze. No other competitor came within a full second of Stolz’s record-setting mark, underscoring the magnitude of the American’s dominance on Olympic ice.
WATCH:
A NEW SPEED SKATING STANDARD. 💪
Jordan Stolz wins GOLD with a men’s 1000m #WinterOlympics RECORD. pic.twitter.com/qW3DSj2vP0
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2026
For Stolz, the victory represents a dramatic transformation from promising teenager to global powerhouse. At just 17, he made his Olympic debut at the 2022 Winter Olympics, finishing 14th in the 1,000 meters and 13th in the 500 meters. Those results hinted at potential, but few could have predicted the rapid ascent that followed.
Since then, Stolz has become the standard in international sprint speed skating. He entered the Milan Games as the world record holder in the 1,000 meters, having posted a blistering 1:05.37 in 2024. During the 2025–26 ISU Speed Skating World Cup season, he swept sprint events and compiled an unbeaten streak that made him the clear favorite heading into the Olympics.
He came. He skated. He conquered. 🥇
Jordan Stolz wins gold at the #WinterOlympics. pic.twitter.com/TwcL7aAJXX
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 11, 2026
His gold medal also carries historical significance for Team USA. Stolz’s triumph marks the first American medal in the men’s 1,000 meters since 2010, when Shani Davis captured his second consecutive Olympic title in the distance and teammate Chad Hedrick added bronze. Stolz has frequently cited Davis as a mentor, drawing a direct line between past American excellence and the new generation now taking center stage.
The race included a brief moment of controversy when Dutch skater Joep Wennemars was granted a re-skate after interference from another competitor. Even with a second opportunity, he could not approach Stolz’s electric pace, ultimately finishing with the fifth-fastest time.
Now, with Olympic gold secured and the record book rewritten, Stolz’s focus shifts to the remaining events on his schedule. He is slated to compete in the 500 meters, 1,500 meters, and mass start, raising the possibility of a multi-medal haul that could elevate him into rarefied air among American Winter Olympic legends.
Should he continue this form, comparisons to icons like Eric Heiden, who won five gold medals at the 1980 Lake Placid Games, may grow louder. For now, however, one thing is clear: Jordan Stolz did not just win gold in Milan. He announced himself as the face of American speed skating’s future.
