U.S. speedskating star Jordan Stolz wins 3rd medal at Winter Olympics
#Jordan Stolz#Winter Olympics 2026#Speedskating#Milan#Olympic medals#Ning Zhongyan#American athletes#World records
📌 Key Takeaways
Jordan Stolz won silver in the 1,500-meter speedskating event
Stolz had previously won gold in the 1,000-meter and 500-meter events
The silver finish prevented Stolz from becoming only the second U.S. athlete to win three gold medals in a single Winter Games
Stolz is the world record-holder for the 1,000-meter speed skate and reigning World Cup champion
He will compete in his final event, the mass start, this Saturday
📖 Full Retelling
American speedskater Jordan Stolz captured the silver medal in the men's 1,500-meter race at the Winter Olympics in Milan on Thursday, February 19, 2026, after falling just short of his third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the competition. Competing in the final heat of the 1,500-meter event, Stolz finished with a time of 1:42.75, approximately one second behind China's Ning Zhongyan, who set an Olympic record with a time of 1:41.98. Despite being heavily favored to win the race, the 21-year-old American could not match Zhongyan's pace. Had Stolz secured first place, he would have become only the second U.S. athlete in history to win at least three gold medals in any sport during a single Winter Games, a feat last achieved by American skater Eric Heiden in 1980. Stolz had already demonstrated his exceptional form earlier in the Games, winning gold in both the men's 1,000-meter and 500-meter speedskating events while setting Olympic records in both races. His victory in the 1,000-meter marked the first American medal in that event since 2010, and his success in the 500-meter made him the first American since Heiden to medal twice in speedskating. Outside of his Olympic achievements, Stolz is already established as one of the sport's premier athletes, holding the world record for the 1,000-meter speed skate and serving as the reigning two-time World Cup champion in the distance. The American speedskater is set to compete in his fourth and final event of the Milan-Cortina Games, the mass start, this Saturday, where he will aim to add another medal to his impressive collection.
Award given to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games
An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols.
Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. In the Olympic Games, long-track speed skating is usuall...
Jordan Stolz (born May 21, 2004), also known as The Milwaukee Missile, is an American long-track speed skater and Olympic gold medalist. At the 2023 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships, Stolz won the 500 meters to become the youngest single distance world champion in history. He also ...
Ning Zhongyan (Chinese: 宁忠岩; pinyin: Níng Zhōngyán; born 3 November 1999) is a Chinese speed skater. He served as one of the flag bearers for China at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
World U.S. star Jordan Stolz takes silver in 1,500-meter speedskating at Winter Olympics after winning 2 gold medals By Emily Mae Czachor Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio Emily Mae Czachor Updated on: February 19, 2026 / 12:12 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google American speedskater Jordan Stolz came just short of his third Olympic gold on Thursday, losing out to China's Ning Zhongyan in the men's 1,500-meter race and instead taking silver. Stolz was initially favored to win the race but ultimately came up about one second too slow, after Zhongyan finished the event in 1:41.98 and set an Olympic record. Competing in the final heat of the 1,500-meter, Stolz ended with a time of 1:42.75. Had Stolz taken first place, the 21-year-old would have become only the second U.S. athlete in history to collect at least three gold medals in any sport during a single Winter Games, decades after American skater Eric Heiden won five gold medals at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. Stolz won gold in the men's 1,000-meter and 500-meter speedskating events this year and set Olympic records in both races. His victory in the former race marked the first medal for an American in that event since 2010. He became the first American since Heiden to medal twice in speedskating when he won the latter race over the weekend. After securing his first gold in the 500-meter, Stolz told CBS News that he expected his next events to be some of his best of the year. "That's what I'm looking for," Stolz said. These are Stolz's second Winter Games, after he made his debut in Beijing and won 14th place in the 1,000-meter and 13th place in the 500-meter. Outside of the Olympics, he is the world record-holder for the 1,000-meter speed skat...
