February 15, 2026 – Milan, Italy – The ice is fast in Milan, and the margins are razor thin at the 2026 #WinterOlympics. After two races, speedskater Jordan Stolz now has a pair of gold medals. During a one-on-one post-race interview coach Bob Corby shared his strategy on setting another record in the 500 meter.
“I spent probably an hour, hour and a half last night looking at video and analyzing times and stuff like that and then I called him and said, ‘Okay, so if you’re going to win the race, you’re going to win it on the backstretch.’”
Corby explained the geometry of the moment.
“So the last corner starts at the beginning of the backstretch. So you got to haul down that backstretch because you’re not going to see him. He’s going to be back behind you and he’s going to be coming on you.”
When Stolz powered off the final turn, nearly even with his Dutch rival, Corby knew.
“When he came out of the corner and they were pretty even, I knew he was going to win.”
For Corby, the chess match on blades involved anticipating a potential edge.
“Jenning has phenomenal turns because he also was a short track skater,” Corby said. “But it’s just that he was going to have possibly a little advantage going into the inner for the last corner. So Jordan had to make up for that possible advantage by starting early on the outer corner.”
There was an early jolt of adrenaline when Stolz matched his competitor at 100 meters. Stats show Stolz actually had an edge, but it was by a hundreth of a second with a 9.55 compared to De Boo’s 9.62.
“That was pretty phenomenal when I saw that, that they were even at 100,” Corby said. “Of course, Jenning doesn’t have a phenomenal start. He’s just good. But the race wasn’t decided yet. It was decided on the backstretch and the last corner.”
Click HERE to read about Jordan Stolz 500m victory
The field itself turned the oval into a pressure cooker. Three record-setting times flashed on the board, as Canadian skater Laurent Dubreuil also brushed the world record by mere fractions finishing third with a 35.26.
“The ice makers deserve gold medals,” Corby said. “What they’re doing out there is phenomenal.”
And at sea level.
“Sea level near world record. That’s pretty phenomenal,” said Corby.
Now, with two gold medals secured, attention shifts to the 1,500 meters.
The plan moving forward is simple. “First on the agenda is a rest day on Sunday, relax a little bit. Then we’ll go back to some easy training and get ready for the 1500.”
For anyone imagining Olympic luxury, Corby offered a different picture of Stolz between races.
“Pretty much nothing. You know, to the cafeteria three times and try and entertain him doing something because he’s not even watching the other races. He can’t because it’s too emotionally draining to watch people try and win medals and then get fourth or skate a bad race. So he hasn’t watched any races yet.”
Two gold medals down. Two races to go. The 1500m is Thursday, February 19, 2026 followed by the Mass Start on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
On a side note:
- Corby got a good laugh when told, I see Jordan got you gold for Valentine’s. “Yes, he got me a very heavy gold medal,” Corby said, the weight of it clearly more joy than metal.
- The above photo is not AI, but a picture of Bob Corby letting his mullet down ala Dutch speedskater Jorrit Bergsma. The Dutch have created a mullet wig and Corby took it for a spin.
- The Dutch actually have some spectacular headware.
- Peacock and NBCsports.com have been broadcasting the races. #OlympicGames
