American speed skating sensation Jordan Stolz experienced a dramatic and unexpected moment at the US Olympic trials, yet still managed to secure his ticket to the Milano-Cortina Winter Games. The world record-holder stumbled to the ice mere seconds into his 1000-metre race but recovered spectacularly to claim a crucial third-place finish.
A Shocking Stumble and a Champion's Recovery
The incident occurred on Saturday at the Pettit National Ice Center, located roughly 40 miles south of Stolz's hometown of Kewaskum. Fewer than five strides into the men's 1000 metres, Stolz caught the toe of his skate on the slick surface and fell. Such a mishap is almost unheard of for an athlete of his calibre, a skater widely tipped to win multiple medals and become a headline act at the Olympics from 6-22 February.
Displaying remarkable composure, the 21-year-old quickly rose and powered through the remainder of the race. He finished with the third-fastest time among 33 entrants, a performance that officially locked in his Olympic roster spot for the event.
"I just tried to get it all out, right? Go as hard as I could and see what would happen, where I would end up," Stolz remarked after the race. He attributed part of his struggle to a recent illness, stating, "Just didn't have the right feeling. Sitting around a lot. Been a little cramped up, dehydrated, so that was more so the issue today."
Stolz's Dominance and Team USA Qualifiers
Despite the hiccup, Stolz's status as a premier medal contender remains unchallenged. He is the world record-holder in the 1000m and a two-time world champion in the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m. Due to his past results, he was already pre-qualified for those three Olympic distances and only needed to participate in the trials to formalise his place.
His time of 1:07.966 was good enough to earn an automatic qualification berth alongside Conor McDermott-Mostowy, who won in 1:07.606, and Cooper McLeod, who finished 0.24 seconds behind the leader. McLeod praised Stolz's resilience, saying, "He handled it very impressively. He handled it like the many-time world champion that he is."
Jackson Edges Out Bowe in Women's 1000m
The drama wasn't confined to the men's events. In the women's 1000m, Erin Jackson triumphed over her close friend and world record-holder Brittany Bowe to secure her Olympic qualification. Jackson clocked a time of 1:14.63, finishing 0.39 seconds faster than Bowe.
The victory carried extra significance given their history. At the trials four years ago, Jackson slipped during the 500m and failed to qualify. In an extraordinary act of sportsmanship, Bowe, who had qualified, gave up her spot, allowing Jackson to compete in Beijing where she made history as the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympic gold medal.
Jackson's latest achievement is particularly impressive considering she tore her left hamstring just before a World Cup meet in December. "Going into the beginning of this week, I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to race or not," Jackson revealed. "But over the last few days, it started feeling really nice. It got better at just the right time."
Bowe, who will turn 38 next month and is heading to her fourth and final Olympics, secured the second US berth in the event. The Beijing 1000m bronze medallist expressed pride in their joint achievement: "To be able to be 1 and 2 with [Jackson] is great, and to be able to go back to the Olympics with her, and for her to have another shot to do something incredible, is going to be fun."
The US speed skating team now looks ahead to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, with Jordan Stolz poised to lead their medal charge despite his unconventional path to qualification.
