Jordan Stolz, Mia Manganello take on mass start as Olympic speed skating concludes on Saturday

Men’s mass start

Ahead of the 2025-26 World Cup season, Stolz, who began his career as a short track skater long ago, decided to add the mass start to his repertoire. He hadn’t raced the event on the senior World Cup level since 2021, and he hadn’t raced it in competition since he took bronze at the 2023 Junior World Championships. 

But as the sprint king often does, he surprised. One week after placing 15th out of 24 skaters at the World Cup opener in Salt Lake City, he skated to bronze in the event. By World Cup No. 4, he found his way to gold. At U.S. Olympic Trials in January, he placed 2nd and 1st between the weekend’s two races. 

Stolz, 21, has already made the podium three times in Milan, winning the 500m and 1000m and taking silver in the 1500m. Though his inexperience might impede some, his speed may carry him to a fourth podium.

With a gold in Saturday’s mass start, Stolz would become only the second American to win three events in any sport at the same Winter Games. The first was fellow Wisconsinite and speed skater Eric Heiden, who finished 1st in each of the five men’s events at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

Teammate Ethan Cepuran, who anchored the U.S. men’s team pursuit trio to silver Feb. 17, will join Stolz in the men’s competition.