American skater Jordan Stolz has rewritten history after securing the men’s 1000m gold in a record-breaking 1:06.28 time and broke the 24-year Olympic record.
Wednesday night became even more unprecedented as Stolz became the first person to win the individual skating gold for Team USA since 2010.
The 21-year-old initially faced the penultimate heat by racing in the second-to-last group with Dutch rival Jenning de Boo till the midway point.
However, the Wisconsin athlete showcased his strength in the final lap and won the title by 0.5 second margin.
Stolz admitted to the unusual pressure, different from previous World Cups, “You can win as many World Cups as you want but to be able to win the 1000m here, it’s once every four years, it’s just indescribable.”
Reflecting on his achievement, he also expressed the relief of witnessing his name next to the Olympic record.
“The feeling of crossing the line and seeing an Olympic record, I was super happy about that.”
After winning one gold, the American phenom is yet to make a clean sweep, following the steps of Eric Heiden to dominate the multiple distances (500m and 1500m) this week.
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