American speed skater Jordan Stolz needs a catchy nickname like American figure skater Ilia Malinin.
Malinin, known as the “Quad God,” has been the biggest American star on the ice at the Milan Cortina Olympics. On Wednesday, however, the spotlight shifted to Stolz. And, boy, did he make the most of his opportunity.
Jordan Stolz’s Olympics started with a bang
Stolz dashed to a gold-medal victory in the 1,000 meters on Wednesday at Milano Speed Skating Stadium. He won the event in 1 minute, 6.28 seconds, an Olympic record. That’s nearly a second faster than the previous best mark (1:07.18), set by Dutch speed skater Gerard van Velde at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
The victory didn’t come easily, though. Stolz trailed Dutchman Jenning de Boo during the final lap.