Jordan Stolz fails to medal in crushing end to speedskater’s Olympics

American speedskater Jordan Stolz will leave the 2026 Milan Cortina Games with three medals and two Olympic records after he narrowly failed to medal in his final event of the competition.

The men’s mass start Saturday ultimately became a nail-biting race for bronze after Dutch Jorrit Bergsma and Danish Viktor Hald Thorup pulled ahead early. 

Stolz, 21, looked positioned to win bronze down the final stretch, but Italy’s Andrea Giovannini ultimately edged him out for the final podium spot.

Stolz finished fourth, with a time of 8:04.51 – less than a tenth second behind Giovannini.

Bergsma, 40, won the men’s mass start, earning his first Olympic gold medal since 2014. Thorup finished second.

Stolz had a tough finish to his overall impressive second Olympics. 

2026 WINTER OLYMPICS

After winning the 500-meter and 1,000-meter events, setting Olympic records in both with his times, Stolz was the heavy favorite to win Thursday’s 1,500-meter event. 

But, in one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 Games, Stolz earned the silver medal in the 1,500-meter race behind Chinese gold medalist Ning Zhongyan, who skated the race of his life.

As Bergsma and Thorup’s lead in Saturday’s race grew, there was an anticipation for the peloton to turn on the jets, especially Stolz, whose strategy typically includes a full-on sprint in the final lap of the race. 

Ultimately, the group couldn’t make up the lost ground. 

In a race for the bronze, Stolz looked poised to earn a spot on the podium but Giovannini beat him in a stunning photo finish.