Jordan Stolz Claims Second Olympic Gold, Shatters 500m Record
MILAN – American speed skater Jordan Stolz continued his dominant performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, securing his second gold medal in the men’s 500 meters on Saturday, February 14. Stolz not only won the race but also set a new Olympic record with a time of 33.77 seconds, further solidifying his place as a rising star in the sport.
The victory came after a race where Stolz faced stiff competition from Dutch skater Jenning de Boo, whom he also defeated in the 1,000-meter race earlier in the week. De Boo finished just 0.11 seconds behind Stolz, also breaking the previous Olympic record with a time of 33.88 seconds. Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil rounded out the podium, initially setting an Olympic record time before being surpassed by both Stolz and de Boo.
The Dutch press had questioned whether Stolz’s slightly slower start in the 1,000 meters would prove to be a disadvantage in the 500. Stolz, however, remained confident, simply stating, “We’ll see.” He proved his point decisively on Saturday.
“Stolz’s era has already begun,” de Boo conceded after the race. “I am part of it. I hope my era is yet to come.” While disappointed to again finish second, de Boo acknowledged Stolz’s exceptional performance.
Dubreuil echoed de Boo’s sentiment, going even further in his praise. “I think Jordan is the best speedskater of all time,” he said. “I think those two are the two best sprinters of all time. I don’t think it happens often that you set an Olympic record and then you lose by half a second. I’m just happy there’s not three of them.”
Stolz’s win marks the first time an American man has won the Olympic 500-meter event since Joey Cheek in 2006. He now joins Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair as the only Americans to win both the 500m and 1000m at the same Olympic Games. With two gold medals already secured, Stolz has the opportunity to add to his tally in the 1,500 meters on February 19 and the mass start event on February 21.
According to Stolz’s coach, Bob Corby, Saturday’s race was the best 500-meter performance of his career. “It was a great start, a great opener, and then once he got around the corner, then he just turned on the after burners and just burned up the back stretch — and that was part of the plan,” Corby explained. “We knew that, ‘Jenning is going to be behind you. You can’t see him, and he is going to be coming after you and setting up that last corner … You got to go as hard as you can,’ and he did. He executed it perfectly.”
Stolz’s time of 33.77 seconds fell just 0.08 seconds short of his personal best of 33.69, achieved at the Calgary Olympic Oval. The new Olympic record is also close to the world record of 33.61, which has stood since 2019.
The 21-year-old Stolz is now aiming to become only the second American Olympian to win three gold medals at a single Winter Games. Eric Heiden, who won five gold medals in 1980, was in attendance on Saturday to witness Stolz’s latest triumph.
