Jordan Stolz Wins Second Gold at 2026 Winter Olympics | NPR

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Jordan Stolz is 2 for 2. And the American speedskating star is building a compelling case that his Milan Cortina Olympics could yield even more gold.

Stolz added his second gold medal in two attempts at the Games by sprinting to victory in the men’s 500 meters on Saturday, February 14, 2026. His time of 33.77 seconds not only secured the top spot on the podium but also set his second Olympic record in four days, having previously broken the record in the 1,000 meters on Wednesday.

With this win, Stolz joins an exclusive club, becoming only the second skater – alongside Eric Heiden – to win both the 500 and 1,000 meters at the same Olympic Games. Heiden achieved the feat at Lake Placid in 1980, decades before Stolz, 21, was born.

While Stolz has expressed some reluctance to draw direct comparisons to Heiden, who won a record five races at those 1980 Games, he appears undeterred by the challenge of matching or exceeding that legacy. He raced in the penultimate pairing and his blistering time proved unbeatable.

Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands took silver in the 500 meters, repeating his result from the 1,000-meter race. Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil secured the bronze with a time of 34.26 seconds.

Stolz’s impressive performance continues a remarkable turnaround for American speedskating. Just a few years ago, the program struggled to produce medal contenders, failing to win a long-track medal at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. The recent success, beginning with Erin Jackson’s gold in the 500 meters at the 2022 Games, signals a potential resurgence for the sport in the United States.

The 21-year-old Wisconsin native isn’t finished yet. He is scheduled to compete in the 1,500 meters on Thursday and the mass start on February 21, leaving the possibility of adding two more gold medals to his collection.

Elsewhere at the Milan Cortina Games, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil delivered a historic moment for South American winter sports, winning gold in the giant slalom. The 25-year-old, with a Norwegian father and a Brazilian mother, posted a two-run time of 2 minutes, 25 seconds, defeating defending champion Marco Odermatt of Switzerland by 0.58 seconds.

In biathlon, Maren Kirkeeide of Norway rebounded from a disappointing start to the Games to win gold in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint, clearing all 10 of her shots and finishing in 20 minutes and 40.8 seconds. Oceane Michelon of France took silver, and Lou Jeanmonnot of France earned bronze.

The Norwegian women’s 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay team also claimed gold, capitalizing on a broken ski binding that hampered the Swedish team, who were leading at the time of the incident. Norway finished in 1 hour, 15 minutes and 44.8 seconds, with Sweden taking silver and Finland earning bronze.