Jordan Stoltz on the ice at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics
“The ice was good,” said Jordan Stoltz, Team USA’s best shot at winning gold in the men’s speed skating event ahead of competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
MILAN, Italy — Jordan Stoltz will resume his quest for four Olympic gold medals when he competes in the 500 meters at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday, February 14th.
He also follows the legendary Eric Heiden, who in 1980 became the only person to win five gold medals in one Winter Olympics.
Stolz, 21, may not be able to win five of these Olympics, but he has solidified his status as a legendary speed skater alongside Heiden. And there’s no better person to compare the two than Bob Corby, who once played against Heiden, trained with him and now coaches Stolz.
“Hyden was probably a little bit stronger, really powerful,” Kobe told USA TODAY Sports. “He just did things like that to the hilt.
“And Jordan has a lot of speed and is really comparable to Hayden as far as being a phenomenon in the three short distances: 500, 1,000 and 1,500.”
Jordan’s speed and endurance were on display in the 1,000 meters, as he overcame a 0.4-second deficit in the final 400 meters to set a new Olympic record with a time of 1:06.28.
He will be tested again in the 500 meters and will take advantage of the different factors that propel him on the ice.
Jordan Stoltz’s Evil Engine
Bonnie Blair, a five-time Olympic gold medalist who competed in the Winter Olympics from 1984 to 1994, said she regularly watches Stolz train at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee.
“He can do an unbelievable amount of laps,” she said.
What’s more impressive, Blair said, is that Stolz doesn’t have anyone to push him. In contrast, Ms. Blair said she trained with Olympians such as Dan Jansen, Nick Thometz and her husband Dave Cruikshank.
“They will take me to speeds that I could never have imagined on my own,” Blair said. “Jordan doesn’t have that. He does it all himself, and he does it day in and day out.”
That leads to what Mr. Blair calls Mr. Stolz’s “evil engine.”
“The engine should run longer and we should be able to maintain pretty consistent lap times,” she said. “And then there’s the power that comes with it, which you need in terms of sprinting.”
Blair said Stolz’s tempo was also impressive, citing the last 250 meters of Stolz’s gold-medal performance in the 1,000 meters on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
“A lot of athletes feel like they’re trying to hit the ball in the right direction when they enter the turn,” she says. “They need a long, powerful stroke to get in, so it feels like they’re downshifting sometimes. And Jordan does a quick 1, 2, 3 to get into the turn, then keeps the motor revving and accelerating out of the turn.”
“But it’s hard to accelerate coming out of 1,000 mph in the last corner. That’s what he did. It was a hell of a race.”
check all boxes
Shani Davis, a retired speed skater and four-time Olympic medalist, cites genetics.
Stolz is 6-1 and weighs about 180 pounds.
“One of his biggest assets is his (body) structure,” Davis said. “He’s the right height and a great weight.”
Not only does Stolz have the perfect body, he makes the most of it.
“He has physical strength that a lot of guys don’t have and can fit very deep and low,” Davis said. “He’s able to get great extension and he’s putting a lot of power force pressure on the ice by pushing it down the ice and creating incredible turnovers for speed.”
Davis says a great skater’s checklist includes technique, strength, endurance and speed.
“I feel like Jordan checks all those boxes,” he said. “He doesn’t have an Achilles heel, and we’re seeing that more and more.”
“A pretty amazing combination.”
Stolz’s coach, Kobe, said success begins with good and efficient technique.
“You’re moving the ice 40 miles per hour and you’re constantly putting pressure on the ice, and that’s very difficult. Once your feet start going back, it’s really hard to get that speed,” Kobe said. “He has really good technique on the straights and in the corners. That’s one of the things that makes him fast.”
But Kobe says the hidden factor is Stolz’s feet.
“He looks like a lean hitting athlete, but his leg strength is incredible,” Kobe said. “That’s the secret ingredient.
“You can see their technique, but you don’t see how much force they’re putting on the ice. And that’s what he’s doing. He’s got really strong legs and really good technique. So it’s a pretty phenomenal combination.”
