Jordan Stolz, the world's fastest speed skater, is rocketing into 2026. He has won nine consecutive races over his three primary events -- 500m, 1000m and 1500m -- and, in his most recent skate, earned his first World Cup victory in the mass start, a new addition to his program.

Stolz, a 21-year-old who picked up the sport on his Wisconsin backyard pond, will clinch his second Olympic berth just by starting a race at the Olympic Trials on his home track in Milwaukee.

Then he will go to Milan with a chance to become the second American in any sport to win three or more gold medals at one Winter Olympics. The other was another Wisconsinite -- Eric Heiden -- who won all five speed skating events at the 1980 Lake Placid Games, very arguably the greatest single Winter Games performance in history.

Stolz reflected on his season thus far and looked ahead to the Olympics in a recent interview, lightly edited for clarity:

NBC Olympics: How would you assess how the season has gone so far, the early part of the season, compared to last year before you got sick?

Stolz: I was actually a bit better in the later World Cups this season. In the beginning ones, I was good, but not as good as I am right now, just because I was still training going into those first two World Cups in Salt Lake City and Calgary. Then I got a little bit of rest for the next two (in Heerenveen, Netherlands, and Hamar, Norway). It was better that way to work out like that for Milan, to try and get more of a peak building up (to the Olympics). Overall, I think I'm just stronger this year.

NBC Olympics: What was the single best race you had in these first few World Cups, and why?

Stolz: It's kind of a toss up between the 500m in Hamar (a win in 33.97 seconds, the fastest time ever skated at the Viking Ship by a massive 27 hundredths) and the 1000m in Heerenveen (a win in 1:06.38, the fastest time ever skated at Thialf by a massive seven tenths). The 1000m in Heerenveen was pretty crazy. It's the fastest lap anyone's done at sea level (24.2 seconds from 200 meters to 600 meters). In Hamar, it's not really a track you should be going under 34 seconds. So it's tough to say. A 1:06.3 (in the 1000m) at sea level is pretty insane. A lot of people say the 1000m was better, and that it could have been a world record if it was in Salt Lake City (where most world records are skated due to the altitude). And a lot of people say the 500m in Hamar could have been a world record (in Salt Lake City). So they might have to be equals.

NBC Olympics: What's the goal for the Olympics?

Stolz: Just to skate the best races I possibly can. And if I can do that, I think I can be on the podium, or number one, in three distances.

NBC Olympics: When you look at how well you skate each of your three distances -- 500m, 1000m, 1500m -- and the strength of the rest of the field in each event, which one do you think is going to be the hardest to win at the Olympics?

Stolz: Probably the 500m, just because the margins are closer. In the 1000m and 1500m, I have a fair gap, and I think even if I'm not at my best, I can still do a pretty good race. But the 500m, you never know what could happen. A little slip, someone might beat you.

NBC Olympics: In addition to your three primary events, are you also 100% definitely planning to race the mass start at the Olympics?

Stolz: Yes.

NBC Olympics: Does the Olympic schedule -- the mass start being the last event -- make it more feasible?

Stolz: I wouldn't be doing the mass start if it was before the 500m or before the 1000m, or any of (my primary races), just because if you fall and get hurt or something happens (in the mass start). It's also 16 laps (12 more laps than the 1500m), pretty hard. That's not something I would be wanting to do before an individual race. So yeah, being it's on the last day, I'm able to do it.

NBC Olympics: When did you start thinking about racing the mass start at the Olympics?

Stolz: I probably didn't talk about it with (coach) Bob (Corby) until a year ago, but since the last Olympics for me.

NBC Olympics: Bob said you showed the mass start field how fast you can sprint in Hamar, and that the others might raise the pace considerably at the Olympics to try and beat you. What are your thoughts on that?

Stolz: I think some of the guys maybe expected me to have a good sprint. I don't know if it gives away too much, because at the Olympics, getting boxed in is still a huge factor. Honestly, it's going to come down to a sprint anyway. So whatever tactics the other guys have, if I'm stronger at the end, which hopefully I will be, depending on the pace of the race, I think it'll be fine.

NBC Olympics: You said in Hamar you probably will not be part of the team pursuit at the Olympics. You don't want to mess up the rhythm those guys have (Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman are the reigning world champions and world record holders). But if you were asked by those guys, would you consider skating an early round? Maybe it would help to give one of the guys a rest, or one of them isn't feeling great, something like that. I know this is a hypothetical, but what would your reaction and thoughts be on that? 

Stolz: That possibility is there, but it's like a 25% chance that I do that. But I don't know, I haven't really decided. I've thought about it, but I just have to evaluate the risks of it. The (first round) heat is (the day) after the 500m, so maybe that one works. But I also don't want to mess them (Cepuran, Dawson and Lehman) up, because I think the heats are pretty important. I don't want it to be like, 'Oh, Jordan tripped (in the race), because he doesn't do enough team pursuits, and then Jordan cost us the gold medal.'

NBC Olympics: Would skating an early round of the pursuit -- the small chance that it happens -- and then those three guys go on to win the gold in the final, would getting a medal from skating an early round mean any less than any other medal?

Stolz: It would feel like less to me, but it would still be a gold medal from the Olympics. Hopefully an extra one that I would have gotten. The only thing that is tempting is Heiden has the record of five gold medals (at one Winter Olympics), so it's like, well, you kind of want to try and match that. If it was Heiden with the record of four gold medals then, no, I probably wouldn't even consider the team pursuit at all.