Jordan Stolz of the United States during men's speed skating 1000m during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

American Jordan Stolz set to make a name for himself at Olympics after record-breaking performance

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Feb 11, 2026 7:47 PM ET

American speed skater Jordan Stolz needs a catchy nickname like American figure skater Ilia Malinin.

Malinin, known as the "Quad God," has been the biggest American star on the ice at the Milan Cortina Olympics. On Wednesday, however, the spotlight shifted to Stolz. And, boy, did he make the most of his opportunity.

Jordan Stolz's Olympics started with a bang

Stolz dashed to a gold-medal victory in the 1,000 meters on Wednesday at Milano Speed Skating Stadium. He won the event in 1 minute, 6.28 seconds, an Olympic record. That's nearly a second faster than the previous best mark (1:07.18), set by Dutch speed skater Gerard van Velde at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

The victory didn't come easily, though. Stolz trailed Dutchman Jenning de Boo during the final lap.

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

"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 Greg Rosenstein of NBC News after the race. "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."

De Boo took the silver medal (1:06.78), while Zhongyan Ning won the bronze (1:07.34).

Stolz could earn three more gold medals at the Games. He's skating in the 500M and 1,500M and may compete in the men's mass start. His next event is the 500M, scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.

If the 21-year-old wins four golds, he'll join former speed skater Eric Heiden as the only American Olympian to capture that many at a Winter Games. Heiden achieved this feat during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

Stolz making history wouldn't be stunning. Widely considered the world's best speed skater, the Wisconsinite won three gold medals at the 2023 World Single Distance Championships. He did it again the following year.

Stolz is certainly deserving of a moniker. How about the "Speed Skating God" if he wins all four golds? Or maybe someone will come up with a better one before the end of the Games, where he should continue to make a name for himself.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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