MILAN (AP) — American speedskater Jordan Stolz was heading into the men’s 1,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Wednesday as a big favorite.
Stolz, a 21-year-old from Wisconsin, entered the race as the holder of the world record and a two-time world champion at the distance. He also went 5-for-5 on the World Cup circuit this season in the 1,000, confirming his status as the man to beat at the Winter Games.
In a surprising scene at the U.S. Olympic trials at Milwaukee in January, Stolz fell to the ice a few strides into the 1,000, then popped back up and ended up with the third-best time.
The beginning of competition was slated for 6:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. ET), with 29 racers on the start list. Stolz was placed in the 14th of the 15 heats, racing head-to-head with contender Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands.
This race was Stolz’s first of his four scheduled events in Milan — and there is a chance he could leave Italy with four gold medals, given his track record and dominance of late. After two days off, he also is entered in the 500 meters on Saturday, the 1,500 on Feb. 19, and the mass start on Feb. 21, the final day of speedskating at these Olympics.
Stolz’s name is often mentioned alongside that of Eric Heiden, the superstar who is the only speedskater to claim five long-track gold medals at a single Winter Games. Heiden won five individual events at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics: the 500, 1,000, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000.
Stolz says he’s flattered to hear about such comparisons, but also is quick to note that what Heiden accomplished was remarkably different, given his participation at all five of those distances. Stolz might add the longer distances to his repertoire down the road; for now, he is the best there is in the sprints.
He was not guaranteed to succeed at the second Olympics of his career, of course. Among the men who could put up a challenge in the 1,000 were de Boo, Damian Zurek of Poland — who was the runner-up to Stolz in three World Cup races this season and was in Wednesday’s final heat — and 2018 Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands. Nuis also won the 1,500 in 2018 and 2022.
Dutch men have won the 1,000 at each of the past three Winter Games.
A medal for Stolz would be the first of any color in the men’s 1,000 for the United States since the 2010 Vancouver Games. That’s when Shani Davis — a mentor to Stolz — won his second consecutive gold in that event, and Chad Hedrick took the bronze.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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