The Dutch don't call him "fighter jet" for nothing.

American speed skating phenom Jordan Stolz dominated his second race of the 2026 Winter Games, flying to gold in the 500m in Olympic record time to claim his second Olympic gold. It's the first time an American man has won the event on the Olympic level since Joey Cheek in 2006.

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Paired with Dutch rival Jenning de Boo for the second time in Milan, Stolz rocketed off the start line but began the race slightly behind — as he often does. By the last lap, he found his groove, crossing the finish line a narrow 0.11 seconds ahead of de Boo, who finished 2nd with a time that also snapped the previous Olympic record.

The two also went 1-2 in the 1000m, both posting times that broke the old Olympic mark.

Stolz's final time of 33.77 seconds shaved just half a second off the mark set by China's Gao Tingyu at the 2022 Beijing Games. It was just 0.08 seconds off his personal best of 33.69, earned at the Calgary Olympic Oval, where skaters benefit from high altitude.

It's also not too far off from the world record of 33.61, which has held since 2019.

If they had been racing at the rink in Salt Lake City, known as the fastest ice on earth due to the thin air, Stolz — and de Boo — may have eclipsed the world record as well, U.S. teammate Cooper McLeod said.

"[It's] for sure a world record [in Salt Lake City]. Almost no question," McLeod told the media after the race. "The ice is pretty good here. It's pretty fast for a sea-level track, but we just watched some special, historic skating ... The Olympic record was lowered by almost a half-second today. That doesn't happen." 

Since he burst onto the scene with two surprise wins at the 2022 Olympic Trials at age 17, Stolz has completely dominated the sprint world. In the 500m, he owns two world titles, the last two World Cup titles, the junior world record, and the sea-level senior world record. During the 2025-26 World Cup season, he skated to two track records in the distance: one at World Cup No. 3 in Heerenveen, Netherlands, and one at World Cup No. 4 in Hamar, Norway. 

He is also a two-time world champion and the two-time reigning World Cup champion in the 1000m and 1500m. He'll race the 1500m Feb. 19 and end his tenure in Milan with the mass start Feb. 21, an event he added to his program just this season.

In Milan, Stolz could become the second-ever American athlete after fellow Wisconsinite Eric Heiden to collect three or more gold medals at a single Winter Games. Heiden, also a speed skater, won gold in all five of his events at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Stolz is about three weeks older than Heiden was when he won his first event in 1980.

The Dutch have a long legacy of speed skating greatness, skating to a world-leading 133 Olympic medals before the 2026 Games. Stolz trains there in the offseason, and his poise and unmatched skill has earned him the nickname of "Straaljager," which translates to "fighter jet."

Just four months Stolz's senior, de Boo emerged as Stolz's primary rival when he denied Stolz a three-peat in the 500m at the 2025 World Championships (the caveat being that Stolz was recovering from a lengthy bout of pneumonia and strep throat). Stolz finished 2nd, and McLeod landed in 3rd.

De Boo beat Stolz twice in nine 500m race this World Cup season. The first time was at the World Cup opener in Salt Lake City, when de Boo took gold and Stolz finished 4th, and the other time was at World Cup No. 2, when de Boo took silver ahead of Stolz's bronze. He also finished second behind Poland's Damian Zurek twice.

In an effort to beat Stolz once more, de Boo pushed toward the finish so hard he spun into the boards after crossing the line.

Stolz appreciates the heated rivalry, he said. 

"I think we push each other, and he skates really well, I skate really well. I think he's really strong. I'm really strong. Actually, it's really cool to see," he said. "I like being paired together. It kind of makes it more fun for the viewers."

The 500m, the shortest of the three sprints, offers little room for error. It demands perfection from the sound of the starting gun to the moment the tip of the skate touches the finish line.

Between the race's unpredictability and the lofty expectations placed on Stolz ahead of the Olympics, facing the 500m could have been a burden. But Stolz never let it bother him, he said.

"I felt a lot less pressure today just because I got the first one out of the way, and I thought, 'This one's not worth stressing over because it's going to be a tossup anyway,'" Stolz said. "It [was] going to be whoever skates a really clean race between me and Jenning, and we both skated clean, and I was able to win." 

Laurent Dubreuil rounded out the podium, claiming Canada's first Olympic medal in the event since 1998. In Nagano, Jeremy Wotherspoon skated to silver, and Kevin Overland earned bronze.

McLeod finished 22nd in Saturday's race. Fellow American Zach Stoppelmoor landed in 27th.

Speed skating competition continues Sunday, Feb. 15, with the men's team pursuit qualifying round and the women's 500m. Skaters are scheduled to take the ice at 10 a.m. E.T.