There's been a clear face of Team USA these Winter Olympics

Going into the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA featured no shortage of headline stars. Snowboarding icon Chloe Kim once again arrived as a medal favorite, while figure skating superstar Ilia Malinin had enormous buzz as the "Quad God."

Meanwhile, alpine skiing still revolved around the familiar names of Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, two of the most decorated athletes ever at their respective disciplines. 

While there have been various success stories for Team USA with more than a few days left in these Games, one athlete has seized the spotlight, and he's skating away with it.

Jordan Stolz could join elite Olympic club for Team USA

Jordan Stolz has emerged as the defining face of American success at these Games. At just 21 years old, Stolz arrived in Milan with hype, having already won seven senior world championships in long-track speed skating.

The Wisconsin native was even favored to win all four individual events: the 500 meters, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters and mass start races. 

So far, Stolz has taken care of business in the 500 and 1,000, setting Olympic records in both races. The first-time Olympian has simply looked different, handling the weight of heavy expectations in a sport with very little margin for error. 

And Stolz still has two more events to go, with the 1,500 taking place on Thursday morning and the mass start on Saturday morning. The already-decorated skater is chasing history.

He is trying to become the first athlete since Eric Heiden to win at least four individual gold medals at the Winter Olympics. The legendary long-distance speed skater accomplished this feat at the 1980 Games at Lake Placid.

For Stolz, the job is not finished, but he's already made his mark in Milan as the most dominant athlete and face of Team USA.