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Jordan Stowles was 5 years old when he saw speed skating on TV during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Seeing his fascination, his father bought him *** pair of skates, and the rest is history. Jordan Stowes is coming in hot, red hot. The 21-year-old from Milwaukee won all five of his races this month at the World Cup and enters 2026 riding *** nine-race win streak. And he’s not only crossing the finish line first, he’s breaking track records. Yeah, this is the best I’ve ever skated, and I’m in *** good spot right now going into the. The youngest member of the speed skating team at the 2022 games in Beijing, Stolles was just 17 years old, *** true newcomer to the world of international racing. Not anymore. The last couple of years I’ve been able to, you know, learn and gain more experience in traveling overseas, right, and dealing with jet lag and nutrition type things and supplements. I wasn’t that big into it when I was, you know, 17, and the jet lag was. Kind of an issue, but now I’ve kind of managed that. He can also manage being in the spotlight. Stoles is *** featured athlete in the promotion of the Milan Cortina Olympics, and he even shares the small screen with A-list movie star Glenn Powell. Well, the reaction from everybody was pretty big cause it’s Glenn Powell, right? And I’m just *** speed skater, but yeah, it was nice to put us two together. But they weren’t together. They filmed their scenes separately and Hollywood magic did the rest. So, I hope to meet him, yeah, and say that was *** nice commercial we did. Yeah. And Powell may really want to meet Stoles if he makes history. In Italy, he can become only the 2nd American to win 3 or more gold medals at *** single Winter Olympics. Fellow speed skater Eric Haydn won 5 golds at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Fletcher Mackle.
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For a while now, Jordan Stolz’s talent and dominance as a speedskater, and his much-anticipated potential for Olympic success, prompted many to repeatedly mention his name — prematurely, no doubt — alongside that of Eric Heiden. Now, they really do belong in the same sentence, at least in one regard.Related video above: Team USA speedskater Jordan Stolz talks Milan-Cortina, actor Glen PowellStolz established himself as a two-time Olympic gold medalist, halfway to his goal of four at the Milan Cortina Games, by winning the 500 meters Saturday to follow up his victory in the 1,000. Those twin triumphs allowed Stolz, a 21-year-old from Wisconsin, to join Heiden as the only men to complete the 500-1,000 double in speedskating at one Olympics.Heiden, of course, did it as part of his record sweep of all five individual events at the 1980 Lake Placid Games for the U.S., taking everything from the 500 to the 10,000, and all in Olympic-record time. Stolz finished the 500 in an Olympic-record time of 33.77 seconds, after also setting a Games mark in his win in the 1,000 Wednesday. Both times, the silver went to Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands, who clocked 33.88 in the shortest speedskating event. Both times, they raced head-to-head in the same heat.Stolz was leading Wednesday as they came out of the final curve, then they were even entering the last stretch. But Stolz, who overcame a deficit in the 1,000, turned on the speed and leaned across the line first again in the 500. De Boo slipped and fell into the wall afterward, while Stolz skated past and shook his right fist overhead.Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil got the bronze in 34.26.The last American to win Olympic gold in the men’s 500 was Casey FitzRandolph in 2002.The soft-spoken Stolz acknowledges that, yes, his aims are high, and, sure, he is flattered by the comparisons to Heiden. But Stolz, who is not entered in the 5,000 or 10,000 in Milan, also knows he is not trying to recreate the same sort of unprecedented and all-encompassing performance turned in by Heiden. Still, Stolz does have a real shot at the four medals, maybe even four golds, he is seeking at his second Winter Games.At Beijing in 2022, just 17 years old, Stolz finished 13th in the 1,000 and 14th in the 500. In the time since, though, he has established himself as the best in the world at his sport, including two world titles each at the 500, the 1,000 and the 1,500. And right now, Stolz is so far living up to the outsized expectations and accompanying pressure that follow his every stride on the ice at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, a temporary facility created for this event.Two races, two golds, two Olympic records.Now, there are two more to go for the six-time world champion: the 1,500 meters on Thursday and the mass start on Feb. 21.The last man to win three gold medals in speedskating at one Winter Games was Norway’s Johann Olav Koss, who won the 1,500, the 5,000 and the 10,000 at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.Stolz took to the ice to warm up Saturday about 2 1/2 hours before his race. He paused at one point to plop himself down for a seat on the low boards along the ice, retying his black-and-green skates and smiling while chatting with his coach, Bob Corby.No sign of nerves. None at all.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
For a while now, Jordan Stolz’s talent and dominance as a speedskater, and his much-anticipated potential for Olympic success, prompted many to repeatedly mention his name — prematurely, no doubt — alongside that of Eric Heiden. Now, they really do belong in the same sentence, at least in one regard.
Related video above: Team USA speedskater Jordan Stolz talks Milan-Cortina, actor Glen Powell
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Stolz established himself as a two-time Olympic gold medalist, halfway to his goal of four at the Milan Cortina Games, by winning the 500 meters Saturday to follow up his victory in the 1,000. Those twin triumphs allowed Stolz, a 21-year-old from Wisconsin, to join Heiden as the only men to complete the 500-1,000 double in speedskating at one Olympics.
Heiden, of course, did it as part of his record sweep of all five individual events at the 1980 Lake Placid Games for the U.S., taking everything from the 500 to the 10,000, and all in Olympic-record time.
Stolz finished the 500 in an Olympic-record time of 33.77 seconds, after also setting a Games mark in his win in the 1,000 Wednesday. Both times, the silver went to Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands, who clocked 33.88 in the shortest speedskating event. Both times, they raced head-to-head in the same heat.
Stolz was leading Wednesday as they came out of the final curve, then they were even entering the last stretch. But Stolz, who overcame a deficit in the 1,000, turned on the speed and leaned across the line first again in the 500. De Boo slipped and fell into the wall afterward, while Stolz skated past and shook his right fist overhead.
Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil got the bronze in 34.26.
The last American to win Olympic gold in the men’s 500 was Casey FitzRandolph in 2002.
The soft-spoken Stolz acknowledges that, yes, his aims are high, and, sure, he is flattered by the comparisons to Heiden. But Stolz, who is not entered in the 5,000 or 10,000 in Milan, also knows he is not trying to recreate the same sort of unprecedented and all-encompassing performance turned in by Heiden.
Still, Stolz does have a real shot at the four medals, maybe even four golds, he is seeking at his second Winter Games.
At Beijing in 2022, just 17 years old, Stolz finished 13th in the 1,000 and 14th in the 500. In the time since, though, he has established himself as the best in the world at his sport, including two world titles each at the 500, the 1,000 and the 1,500. And right now, Stolz is so far living up to the outsized expectations and accompanying pressure that follow his every stride on the ice at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, a temporary facility created for this event.
Two races, two golds, two Olympic records.
Now, there are two more to go for the six-time world champion: the 1,500 meters on Thursday and the mass start on Feb. 21.
The last man to win three gold medals in speedskating at one Winter Games was Norway’s Johann Olav Koss, who won the 1,500, the 5,000 and the 10,000 at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.
Stolz took to the ice to warm up Saturday about 2 1/2 hours before his race. He paused at one point to plop himself down for a seat on the low boards along the ice, retying his black-and-green skates and smiling while chatting with his coach, Bob Corby.
No sign of nerves. None at all.
