Jordan Stoltz Makes History with Olympic Gold

It was a memorable day for Jordan Stoltz. Competing in Wednesday’s second-to-last heat among 30 other skaters, he claimed the gold medal with a time of 1:06.28. However, it was a nail-biting ten minutes later, as he anxiously awaited the results of another skater’s re-skate, that he truly cemented his victory.

When he finally secured his first Olympic medal at just 21 years old, breaking the previous Olympic record of 1:07.18—which had been set in 2002, before his own birth—his joy was palpable.

Stoltz still holds the world record of 1:05.37, a remarkable achievement he reached in 2024.

Following Stoltz was Dutch competitor Jenning de Vu, who also skated a time of 1:06.28, with China’s Ning Zhongyan taking the bronze in 1:07.34.

Stoltz made his Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games, when he was only 17, finishing 13th in the 500 meters and 14th in the 1,000 meters. Since then, under the guidance of coach Bob Corby, a former speed skater himself, Stoltz has emerged as a dominant force on the ice, now a seven-time champion and a leader in various distance categories in the World Cup standings.

This is really just the start for the young speed skater in Milan.

Looking ahead, he has three more opportunities to add to his medal tally: the 500m, 1,500m, and the men’s mass start, a race where all athletes begin simultaneously and compete over 16 laps.

Historically, only two athletes have won four gold medals at a single Winter Olympics: Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Björndalen in 2002 and Soviet speed skater Lidya Skobrikova in 1964.

Meanwhile, American Eric Heiden remains a standout as the only athlete to secure five gold medals in one Winter Olympics, achieving this remarkable feat in 1980.