The Olympics are going to Bel Paese (Italian for a beautiful country) this winter. The Winter Olympics 2026 are heading for Italy, and speed skating legend Jordan Stolz is aiming for a record. He would be the fifth American to win three individual titles in one Winter Olympics if he went up on the podium in all three races. The man is already the youngest single-distance world champion in history, but becoming a legend at the age of 20 was not so easy. Jordan has opened up about his childhood struggles. What do we know?
As of the recent Forbes report, Jordan grew up in the small town of Kewaskum in southeast Wisconsin. His parents started to instill skating into him and his sister when he was five, but they had one problem: skates cost a fortune. Used Skates -problem solved. His mother recalls, “The racing skates were $600, and way too expensive, but a friend found some used ones.”
This friend was none other than Olympian Becky Sanfelippo. The 20-year-old’s skating foundation was laid by his dad when he used to clear their backyard pond and install outdoor lighting. All of this so that his children could skate all hours. The changing point in Jordan’s life came with the 2010 Olympics. Jordan and his sisters were raised by their parents as outdoor kids.
Watching TV was a rarity for the kids, but when the Olympics came as the 21st century completed its first decade, Jane would tell Jordan and Hannah to watch it. That is when the project Jordan Stolz, the legend, began. Who were his skating inspirations, you ask? Well, Apolo Ohno and Shani Davis did have a good run in the 2010 Olympics. Watching them got him all serious about skating.
Apolo won a silver medal in the men’s 1500 m. He also won bronze medals in the 1000 m and the 5000 m relay. By winning gold, Davis defended his men’s 1000 m title, becoming the first man to successfully defend a 1000 m Olympic gold medal in long-track speed skating. So Jordan Stolz chose his idols well, and that is pretty much evident in the performances he has shown. However, being sick took a toll on him in 2025.
No Gold for Jorda Stolz in skating worlds after pneumonia recovery
The Milwaukee World Cup wrapped in February 2025 with the Wisconsin native winning three golds and a silver at his home ice at the Pettit National Ice Center. Three days later, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and a sore throat. Slowly recovering, he went to the 2025 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships, which were being held in Hamar, Norway, from March 13 – 16th.
Starting in front of the home crowd at Hamar’s Viking Ship, Norway’s Peder Kongshaug won the 1500m in 1:44.64. Stolz came in second with just 0.07 seconds behind. It was once again silver for him in the 500m event with a time of 34.38, finishing behind Jenning De Boo of the Netherlands who was 16 hundredths ahead. The worst came for the skating star when he finished third in the 1000m event with a time of 1:08.26.
The winner, Joep Wennemars, was 21 hundredths ahead of him. Stolz left his name in golden letters in ice skating legends back in 2023. Why? Because the man dominated the 2023 World Championships. 500m? Gold. 1000m? Gold? 1500m? Gold. He became the first man to put on ice skates and win three individual events at a World Single Distances Championships. And he did it twice, doing it all the same in the 2024 season. Do you think pneumonia was the only reason?
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