Jordan Stolz gets one last shot at historic third gold as mass start closes speedskating at Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026

Jordan Stolz still has a chance to create history at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The 21-year-old American speedskater has already won gold medals in the 500m and 1000m events. He also earned a silver medal in the 1500m race. Now he heads into Saturday’s mass start event hoping to secure a third gold medal. If he succeeds, he will become the first male long-track speedskater in 32 years to win three golds at a single Winter Olympics.

The last man to achieve that feat was Norway’s Johann Olav Koss at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. Stolz entered the Olympics as one of the biggest stars of speedskating. Early in the Games, many people even spoke about him possibly winning four gold medals. Although the 1500m result ended that dream, a third gold would still place him among the greatest Winter Olympians. The final races will decide whether he joins the sport’s most elite names.

Mass start race could decide Jordan Stolz’s place in Winter Olympic history

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After finishing second in the 1500m, Jordan Stolz admitted, “I didn’t have it today. Not sure why.”

He now turns his focus to the mass start, a very different competition from the other races. In most long-track events, skaters compete in pairs against the clock. In the mass start, all competitors race together over 16 laps, covering 6,400 meters. Contact, positioning and timing become very important.

Speaking about the event, Stolz said that the mass start race is unpredictable, almost like a bonus event where outcomes are uncertain.

The semifinals begin Saturday at 3 p.m. local time, with the finals later the same day. Stolz will race alongside teammate Ethan Cepuran. The American women competing are Mia Manganello and Greta Myers.

Canada’s Valerie Maltais also believes the event is unpredictable. As reported by AP, she said, “It’s anyone’s race. It’s completely different. It’s not the strongest athlete who will win; it’s the smartest. The one who’s going to be more patient. The one who’s going to have to be bold, maybe in attack. A lot of things will happen. It’s hard to predict. You have less control of what’s happening around you. It’s the race where I’m the most nervous when I show up to the line.”

Historically, only two athletes have won more long-track gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. American legend Eric Heiden captured five golds in 1980. Soviet skater Lidiya Skoblikova won four in 1964. Stolz now stands one race away from joining that rare company.



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