Updated: 11:12 a.m. on Feb. 19, 2026

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer

MILAN (AP) — American speedskater Jordan Stolz 's bid for a third gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics came up short with a loss to China's Ning Zhongyan in the 1,500 meters on Thursday.

Ning won in an Olympic-record time of 1 minute, 41.98 seconds. Stolz, skating in the day's last heat, finished 0.77 off the pace, and adds a silver to the golds he claimed earlier at these Winter Games in the 500 and 1,000. The 21-year-old from Wisconsin will participate in his last race, the mass start, on Saturday.

Only two speedskaters ever have won at least four golds at one Games: Eric Heiden of the U.S. went home with five from the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, and Lidiya Skoblikova, representing the Soviet Union, claimed four in 1964.

When Stolz finished, and his time flashed on the arena's video boards, Ning began jumping up and down with other members of China's team. He then grabbed a flag and wore it like a cape for a victory lap.

Ning picked up his third medal at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, a temporary facility that has been producing swift times, after bronzes in the 1,000 and the team pursuit.

Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands, who won the 1,500 at the 2018 and 2022 Olympics and holds the word record, got the bronze on Thursday, 0.07 behind Stolz.
___
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Published: 9:55 a.m. on Feb. 19, 2026

MILAN (AP) — American speedskater Jordan Stolz heads into the 1,500-meter race at the Olympics in search of his third gold medal of the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

Stolz is again the favorite at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on Thursday, just as he was in the 500 and the 1,000, both of which he won. Those earlier victories made the 21-year-old from Wisconsin just the second man to get gold in both of those distances at one Olympics, joining Eric Heiden, who collected a total of five titles at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.

"I'm proud to be mentioned in the same sentence as Jordan Stolz," said Heiden, who has been attending races in Milan. "That kid's a stud."

If Stolz does climb to the top step of the podium again, he would be the first male speedskater to win a trio of golds at one Games since Norway's Johann Olav Koss did it at the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994.

Dutch skater Irene Schouten won three women's races at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.

Only two speedskaters ever have won at least four golds at one Games: Lidiya Skoblikova, representing the Soviet Union, took home four in 1964, and Heiden had his record 5-for-5 performance 16 years later.

After the 1,500 — which is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET), Stolz is scheduled to take part in his fourth event in Milan on Saturday, in the mass start.

In addition to the two wins already, Stolz set Olympic records in both the 500 and 1,000.

Asked to sum up his trip to Italy after those events, he said: "It's a success, but it's more so of a partial success if I don't win the 1,500, just because I've been so good in that distance for so long. So I hope I can win that one."

His first career Olympic golds had been anticipated, if not downright expected, by many before competition began in Milan.

That's, at least in part, because he owns a pair of world titles each at 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters and holds the world record in the 1,000. He also has been dominant on the World Cup circuit.

"I think Jordan," said Canada's Laurent Dubreuil, the bronze medalist behind Stolz in the 500, "is the greatest speedskater of all-time."

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics