Jordan Stolz's remarkable run at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics hit a speed bump on Thursday. The American speed skating phenom took silver in the 1500m behind China's Ning Zhongyan, ending his bid for a third consecutive gold medal at these Games. His first two medals, both gold and both won in Olympic record time, came in the 500m and 1000m.
Stolz's bid for a third gold medal came up short in a stunning turn of events. He found himself 1.35 seconds behind Ning ahead of the final 400 meters, cutting over half a second off that deficit by the end but ultimately finishing second. Ning's final time of 1 minute, 41.98 seconds outpaced Stolz's by 0.77 seconds. The 21-year-old Wisconsin native had entered the race as the heavy favorite, but Stolz acknowledged he didn't have his best day, attributing it to competing in multiple events.
While Stolz's medal count stayed solid, Alysa Liu delivered pure joy for Team USA on the ice. American Alysa Liu won gold in women's figure skating, becoming the first American woman to do so since 2002. Liu competed alongside teammates Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito—known as The Blade Angels—with Taylor Swift narrating an intro video ahead of the short programs. The momentum continues as USA faces off against Canada for the women's gold medal in hockey on Thursday.
Stolz's silver makes him the only American so far to claim three medals at the 2026 Games, and he still has a chance for redemption—Stolz is scheduled to compete in the mass start on Saturday, Feb. 21. Watch all the action unfold on NBC Olympics and Peacock. For more on the Games' biggest moments, check out what AIN means at the Olympics and see how Team USA clinched women's hockey gold.