MILAN — U.S. speedskating star Jordan Stolz won his first Olympic medal Wednesday, earning gold and setting an Olympic record in the 1,000-meter event.
He finished with a time of 1:06.28, shaving nearly a second off the previous best time. Stolz topped Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands and Zhongyan Ning of China, who took silver and bronze.
"The last lap — Jenning was ahead of me at 600 meters and I was kind of worried that maybe he was going to be able to win," Stolz told NBC News. "And then I thought I really can’t let that happen, so I threw two arms down and went as hard as I possibly could and was able to catch him."
Stolz, widely considered the best skater in the world, competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics at 17 years old — the youngest male athlete on the team — and finished 13th in the 500 meters and 14th in the 1,000 meters. He has since dominated the competition.
Stolz swept the 500 meters, 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters at world championships in 2023 and 2024 and was named the youngest male World Allround champion in 46 years. He set the world record in the 1,000 meters with a time of 1:05.37 in Salt Lake City in January 2024, but he said Wednesday's feat was better because it wasn't at altitude.
Stolz is also riding a 14-race unbeaten streak in the 1,000 meters on the World Cup level.
Stolz said earning the Olympic gold medal "feels a bit better than I thought it would."
"It means a lot,” he said. “I’ve been training a lot, the last four years since the last Olympics, and you only get one shot to win gold in the 1,000, so I was able to do that. ... It's one thing having people expecting you to win. Actually achieving that? The feeling is pretty unreal."
Stolz, of Wisconsin, is expected to contend for gold in the 500 meters, 1000 meters and 1,500 meters in Milan and could also participate in the men’s mass start. If he wins at least three gold medals, he’ll join Eric Heiden as the only American in any sport, man or woman, to win that many at a single Winter Games.
Stolz said he's glad to get the first gold under his belt.
"It’s really nice to get the first one out," he said. "Getting an experience of what it's like with the crowd and the pressure and the buildup. Now you know what to expect."
