January 3, 2026 – Milwaukee, WI – A sell-out crowd for the Olympic Trials in Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon as skaters secured a spot on the 2026 Winter Olympic team. There were thrills as Brittany Bowe, and Erin Jackson were named to Team USA and one spill as speedskater Jordan Stolz slipped at the start of his 1000m. Stolz quickly recovered to secure bronze and, along with his podium mates Conor McDermott-Mostowy and Cooper McLeod, all were officially named to the Olympic team.
Stolz, who currently holds the World Record in the 1000m with a time of 1:05,37, skated in the 16th pair against Conor McDermott-Mostowy.
McLeod held first place for a hot second with a time of 1:07.85 before Stolz and McDermott-Mostowy skated and then McLeod dropped a spot to the silver medal.
Stolz said his slip at the start, while rare… happened when he toed the line and the tip of his skate caught in mid-stride. While Stolz recovered quickly, it was not enough to overtake McDermott-Mostowy who finished in first place with a time of 1:07.606. Stolz secured bronze in 1:07.96.
Stolz downplayed the incident saying it happens “once in a blue moon” and he was hindered with a head cold and “just wasn’t feeling right with the cold I have.”
Coach Bob Corby explained the fall as “when they drive their toe their foot back in sometimes the toe catches the ice and then all their momentum is going forward and if there’s a slight hesitation they go flat on their face,” he said. “He doesn’t do it. I think I’ve seen him do that once before in practice. Never in a race.”
Physically, Stolz confirmed he’s ok, just “felt a little weird the last couple days trying to get rid of the sickness.”
Stolz credited his finish to just having the “strength to push through.”
Questioned how he prepared for today’s event, Stolz said he’s “been sitting around trying to do my best to recover.” Dehydration, he admitted, has been an issue.
So, the primary plan now is to “hydrate and then see how I feel when I wake up.”
-Sunday’s Olympic Trials includes the 500m and 1500m for men and women.
Below are articles regarding Stolz accomplishments in the 1000m during the ISU World Cup season.
Throughout the ISU World Cup season Stolz has been setting track records in the 1000m, knocking off records in Calgary, Heerenveen, and Hamar, Norway.
It was February 2025 when De Boo set the track record at 1:07,08. On the season, and as skaters prime for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the 21-year-old from the Netherlands skated a personal best of 1:06,112.
Of all the race distances, the 1000m is a strongpoint for Stolz.
In the current points standings Stolz has the top spot in the 1000m, followed closely by De Boo.
Behind the scenes, Stolz is coming off an impressive win and new track record in the 1500m. During opening night in Heerenveen he broke the 5-year standing record held by Kjeld Nuis (NED).
According to an article on ISU-Skating.com by Leo Aquina:
Stolz explained his version of the race plan afterwards. “I was going out, just for even laps. It’s going to be a hard weekend. I was trying not to burn up everything today.
“I went out at a good pace that I thought I could hold. That was relaxing enough, to keep it strong for the end, and then Wennemars still a bit ahead, and I didn’t really like that, so I had to attack it more.”
Not the underdog, but the defending champion
Nuis applauded when he saw Stolz breaking his track record. “All credit to him, he stole it fair and square,” the Dutch veteran said.
Nuis himself started in the final pairing versus Ning. He went all-in to regain his track mark, but came .76s short of Stolz. Yet, he remained proud of himself.
“This is my best race in five years. If, five years ago, you’d have told me I could still do this now, I would not have believed you,” he said.
“And I take a silver medal, behind a phenomenon. This gives me a lot of confidence, because I’m much faster than the others, who were really close to me in the previous races this season.
“Of course there’s still one man faster, but he’s from another planet.”
nbcsports.com
