MILWAUKEE (AP) — A day after an early stumble in the 1,000 meters, star speedskater Jordan Stolz was smooth and speedy enough in the 500 at the U.S. Olympic trials Sunday, finishing first in 34.76 seconds.
He already was prequalified at that distance based on World Cup results and only needed to participate at the trials to make official his berth for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That also was the case for the 1,000, the 1,500 scheduled for later
Sunday and Monday's mass start.
Stolz shrugged about his 500 time, telling NBC that “usually I'd be much faster, but it's good for now, because I'm in training.”
His focus is on the Olympics themselves, not the trials, which are being held at the Pettit National Ice Center, about 40 minutes south of his hometown of Kewaskum.
In Saturday's 1,000, his first race and one in which he holds the world record, Stolz lost his footing right at the outset and fell to the ice, a stunning mistake. But he got right up and closed with the third-best time.
Cooper McLeod, who was second in the 1,000, was next in the 500, 0.06 seconds behind Stolz. While three U.S. men will get berths in the 1,000 in the Feb. 6-22 Olympics, Stolz is still the only one assured of a spot.
That's because there are other heats for the women’s and men’s 500 Monday, and each skater’s best time across the two days is what counts.
Erin Jackson, the reigning gold medalist in the women's 500, also already had prequalified and only needed to show up at the starting line in Milwaukee in that race. Like Stolz, she did far more than that, producing the fastest time Sunday by clocking 38.15 seconds — one day after winning the 1,000.
The American women have two spots in the Olympic 500 and the other will be settled Monday, the last day of the trials.
Sarah Warren was second-best among the women Sunday in 38.86.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
