By Pearl Josephine Nazare
MILAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - American speed skating phenomenon Jordan Stolz once again stole the spotlight on Saturday, rocketing to the men's 500 metres title at the Winter Olympics and securing his second gold medal of these Games.
Stolz had already met the towering expectations by winning the men's 1,000m on Wednesday, the United States' first speed skating gold of Milano Cortina.
He topped a 500m podium rounded out by Dutchman Jenning de Boo with silver and Canada's Laurent
Dubreuil with bronze.
The 21-year-old tore through the distance in an Olympic-record 33.77 seconds, finishing 0.11 ahead of De Boo.
Drawn in the 13th of 15 pairs and starting from the inner lane, Stolz once again lined up against his Dutch rival - the same head-to-head matchup from the 1,000m, where the American struck gold and De Boo took silver.
Stolz powered off the line before unleashing the explosive top-end speed that has become his trademark.
De Boo pushed hard to keep him within reach, clipping the barrier after crossing the line as Stolz saluted a raucous, Dutch-dominated crowd. Among those rocking the stands were Stolz's compatriot and the most decorated gymnast in history, Simone Biles.
Earlier, Dubreuil - skating in the 10th pair - briefly broke the Olympic record with a 34.26, before Stolz obliterated it minutes later.
Poland's Damian Zurek and De Boo were considered the strongest challengers to Stolz over the distance but neither could halt the American's surge as he once again rose above the field at his second Olympics.
Stolz has evolved into a world-beating sprinter in recent seasons, collecting seven world championship titles and holding the 1,000m world record.
His latest triumph delivered the United States their fifth gold medal of these Games, joining Breezy Johnson's women's downhill victory, the figure skating team event title, Elizabeth Lemley's win in women's moguls and Stolz's own 1,000m success.
Both of Team USA's speed skating medals at these Olympics now belong to him.
He heads next into the 1,500m as the overwhelming favourite and will also contest the mass start, keeping alive his bid for a multi-medal Games.
CANADA OFF TO FLYING START IN WOMEN'S TEAM PURSUIT
Before the men lined up for their 500m final, the women contested their team pursuit quarter-finals on Saturday.
Defending champions Canada progressed smoothly into Tuesday's semi-finals, joined by 2022 silver medallists Japan, the Netherlands and the United States as the four fastest teams.
Canada entered the event as favourites once again. The trio of Ivanie Blondin, Valerie Maltais and Isabelle Weidemann - the same line-up that won gold at Beijing 2022 - arrived in Milano Cortina leading the 2025-26 ISU World Cup standings, reaffirming their status as the team to beat.
The opening quarters pair featured the Netherlands, bronze medallists four years ago, against Kazakhstan. The Dutch skated cleanly, while Kazakhstan's race unravelled early after a blade clash caused one skater to drop out, leaving them unable to finish.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Milan; Editing by Alison Williams and Clare Fallon)
