The next Eric Heiden? US speedskater Jordan Stolz draws comparisons ahead of Milan Cortina Olympics
January 23, 2026
Jordan Stolz appreciates that people liken what he’ll be trying to do at the Milan Cortina Winter Games to Eric Heiden’s record five speedskating gold medals at Lake Placid in 1980. Stolz calls it a cool comparison. But the 21-year-old from Wisconsin also acknowledges what he will try to do at the Olympics in February is not quite the same as Heiden. Still, Stolz is a favorite in the men’s 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters and a contender for gold in the mass start, too. There is even a chance he could enter a fifth event.