The 500 meters theoretically provided the toughest challenge for Kewaskum's Jordan Stolz in his quest for three individual Olympic gold medals.
He left no doubt, anyway.
Stolz chased down his second gold medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, reaching the finish line in 33.77 seconds at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 14. It's his second Olympic record in as many races.
In the shortest – and potentially most chaotic – of his three individual races at the 2026 games, the 21-year-old supplemented his title from the 1,000 meters Feb. 11. He'll race again Feb. 19 in the 1,500 meters with the chance to become the first American to win three golds in the same Winter Olympics since Eric Heiden won five in 1980. The mass-start race Feb. 21 would be Stolz's chance for a fourth.
Stolz came into the event as a favorite, but in a race where the best in the world are separated by mere fractions of a second, nothing was certain.
As was the case in the 1,000, Stolz was paired on the ice with one of his chief competitors, Netherlands star Jenning De Boo, just four months older than Stolz. The spirited battle ended with Stolz finishing a mere 11 hundredths of a second ahead of De Boo.
After the race, Stolz stood atop the podium and received his second gold medal, followed by the national anthem.
Here's the video from NBC's coverage of the medal ceremony.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Watch Jordan Stolz's second gold medal ceremony at Olympics