Kewaskum speedskater Jordan Stolz got off to a blazing start at the Winter Olympics, winning the 1,000 meters at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium in an Olympic record time.
The 21-year-old phenom, who is on a quest to win medals in four events, took to the ice in Milan early Wednesday afternoon (Wednesday night in Milan) in the second-to-last pair, matched with top rival Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands.
Stolz trailed late in the race but used a blistering last lap to blow past de Boo and skate to a gold medal.
The often-stoic Stolz flashed a broad smile and pumped his fist after crossing the finish line in 1 minute, 6.28 seconds, pulling away from de Boo at the end and breaking the Olympic record at the distance of 1:07.18 set by Gerard van Velde of the Netherlands that had stood since 2002, more than two years before Stolz was born.
Stolz holds the 1,000-meter world record of 1:05.37.
Taking the silver was de Boo, with Zhongyan Ning of China getting the bronze.
This marks Stolz’s first Olympic medal and the first medal for the U.S. men in the 1,000 meters since Shani Davis – a mentor to Stolz and his former coach – took home the gold in the Vancouver Games in 2010.
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At the 2022 Beijing Games, Stolz, who was competing as a 17-year-old, finished 14th in the 1,000 and 13th in the 500. He’s been on a meteoric rise since and has been a dominant performer on the World Cup circuit. His rise to stardom evokes comparisons to Eric Heiden, a Madison native and five-time gold medalist in the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, who many consider to be the greatest speedskater ever. Heiden took in the action in Milan on Wednesday, seated in the stands next to rapper Snoop Dogg.
Stolz’s rooting section also included his parents, Dirk and Jane Stolz, who helped launch their son’s speedskating career on a frozen backyard pond when he was just 5 years-old and made the 40-mile trek from Kewaskum to the Pettit National Ice Center many times.
There were a few nervous moments for Stolz, who had to wait out another pair of skaters and then a 10-minute delay to allow for a re-skate by Joep Wennermars of the Netherlands, who was skating well and in medal contention before being bumped in his original heat.
After it all became official, Stolz skated along the track with an American flag draped across his shoulders, smiling as he waved to the crowd and acknowledged his 75-year-old coach Bob Corby.
Stolz competed in the U.S. Olympic Long Track Speedskating Trials at the Pettit National Ice Center in early January, where he has trained since he was a youngster. The trials turned out to be a mere formality as he had already prequalified for the Olympic Games in all three sprint distances (500 meters, 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters) and the mass start.
