January 5, 2026 – Milwaukee, WI – Day 4 of Olympic Trials will feature the Mass Start and the second 500m at the Pettit National Ice Center as 14 skaters vie for a final spot on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Coach Bob Corby has a very entertaining review of Mass Start strategy and one prediction for the race at the Olympics.
Local favorite Jordan Stolz has already pre-qualified to compete in the 500m at the Olympics, along with the 1000m, 1500m, and today he races the Mass Start. It’s pack-style racing, and a longer distance, 16 laps.
During this past ISU World Cup season Stolz is listed 5th in the standings for Mass Start. It’s likely two Americans will skate the Mass Start at the Olympics. The early second favorite for the men is Ethan Cepuran who is 16th in the ISU World Cup standings.
The results above show Stolz’s finishes so far this season. The initial race in Utah saw him finish 15th, and within a week you can see he was figuring it out and jumped to a bronze medal and a No. 3 finish. Stolz was on track to possibly podium again in Heerenveen, when a crash took him out midway through the race.
The following week in Hamar, coach Bob Corby said Stolz mimicked the stride of a marathon racer and in the end “stole the lunch money” of the skaters in front of them and won by a sizable margin.
For the women, keep an eye on 35-year-old Mia Manganello. She is the heavy favorite for Team USA.
10_draw_womenmassstart-1_20260105000222Below is the lineup of skaters for today’s races, which begins with the mens Mass Start.
9_draw_menmassstart-signed_20260105000348Click HERE for the full Monday, January 5, 2026, schedule
Skating gets underway around 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, January 5, 2025.
