Also in the mix are Dutch skaters Jenning de Boo and Joep Wennemars, as well as Poland’s Damian Zurek.
Just four months Stolz’s senior, de Boo emerged as Stolz’s primary rival when he finished ahead of Stolz in two events at the 2025 World Championships: the 500m (gold) and the 1000m (silver). Wennemars, whose father won back-to-back world titles in the distance in 2003 and 2004, beat out de Boo for gold.
Though de Boo lost a bit of his edge toward the end of this season, finishing 4th in the final three World Cup races, he still stands as the world No. 3 in the distance. Wennemars sits behind him in 4th.
Meanwhile, Zurek took advantage of de Boo’s slip, skating to 1000m silver twice (behind Stolz) to cap the season. He also beat Stolz in the final two 500m races ahead of the Olympics.
Each of the three races contested in Milan so far have been won in Olympic record time. The current 1000m mark of 1 minute, 7.18 seconds has remained untouched since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. This season, Stolz skated four of his five 1000m wins in under 1:07 — a feat no man had accomplished at a venue other than the Olympic ovals in Salt Lake City and Calgary, with the benefit of altitude, before Stolz did so in February 2025.
