Jordan Stolz is 2 for 2. And he's just getting started.
The American speedskater claimed his second Olympic gold in four days at Milan Cortina, winning the men's 500 meters with a time of 33.77 seconds—his second Olympic record in as many races. By taking both the 500 and 1,000 meters at the same Games, Stolz joined Eric Heiden as the only skaters to achieve the feat. Heiden did it at Lake Placid in 1980, 24 years before Stolz was born.
What makes this moment sharper: Stolz is 21. Heiden was 22 when he set his record five gold medals across five races nearly five decades ago. The Wisconsin native hasn't shied away from the comparison, but he hardly seems weighed down by it either. Racing in the penultimate pairing on Saturday, he moved with the kind of quiet efficiency that suggests he knows exactly what he's capable of.
Netherlands' Jenning de Boo took silver for the second consecutive race, with Canada's Laurent Dubreuil claiming bronze in 34.26.
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Start Your News DetoxStolz still has the 1,500 meters coming up on Thursday, then the mass start on February 21. The question now isn't whether he can win—it's how many times he can.
Other podium moments
Brazil's Alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen delivered something his country had never had before: a Winter Olympics gold medal. The 25-year-old, whose father is Norwegian and mother Brazilian, won the giant slalom in 2 minutes, 25 seconds, edging Switzerland's defending champion Marco Odermatt by 0.58 seconds. "I was skiing with my heart," Braathen said afterward. "I am a Brazilian skier who became an Olympic champion."
Maren Kirkeeide's Olympic arc turned sharply upward in a single race. After finishing 49th in her first biathlon event, the Norwegian won gold in the women's 7.5-kilometer sprint, clearing all 10 shots and crossing in 20 minutes, 40.8 seconds. France's Oceane Michelon took silver, 3.8 seconds back.
Norway's women pulled off a surprise in the 4 x 7.5-kilometer cross-country relay, stunning Sweden—a team that had won seven of nine possible medals in the discipline so far. Sweden's Ebba Andersson broke her ski binding during the second leg and fell, losing crucial time. Norway finished in 1 hour, 15 minutes, 44.8 seconds, 50 seconds ahead of the Swedes. Finland earned bronze, more than a minute back.
