Speed skating at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics continues Sunday, Feb. 8, with the first of two men's long distance events, the 5000m. 

All speed skating events are available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Sports apps.

None of the three medalists from the 2022 Beijing Games are competing in Milan, leaving a wide open space for a new Olympic champion. American Casey Dawson will go for that gold.

Dawson has emerged as a fierce contender in the long distances over the last two years. Since Jan. 27, 2025, the 25-year-old has broken three national records in the 5000m, as well as one apiece in the 3000m and 10,000m. In the 10,000m, he shaved almost 10 seconds off the 20-year-old mark held by Chad Hedrick — the last U.S. man to earn an Olympic medal in the 5000m (gold) or the 10,000m (bronze). 

He also skated to his first individual World Cup podium finish this season, taking gold in the 5000m just by 0.02 seconds. His win marked the first time an American man had finished 1st in a World Cup 5000m race in 20 years.

Dawson is the only American man qualified for the men's long distances. He will also compete in the 1500, the 10,000m, and the team pursuit (as one-third of the world record-holding trio). He enters the Olympics as the World No. 4 in the long distances.

In Beijing, Dawson skated to bronze in the men's team pursuit. But to get to his first individual podium, he'll have to upset a stacked field led by two skaters who snapped the 5000m world record this season: France's Timothy Loubineaud and Norway's Sander Eitrem.

"The [skill] level this year in particular is so high. It is super fun to see all these different countries on top — it is not just the Dutch," Dawson told the media after training at Milano Speed Skating Stadium Thursday. "You see a couple of Dutch skaters sprinkled in the top 10, but the top five are five different countries, which is crazy ... It is fun to see different talent coming up, and to compete against them." 

At the World Cup opener in November, Loubineaud shaved one-and-a-half seconds off the mark set by Swedish speed skating giant and 2022 Olympic gold medalist Nils van der Poel in 2021. Two months later, reigning world champion Eitrem then became the first man to skate the distance in under six minutes at January's World Cup finale. Both Loubineaud (World No. 3) and Eitrem (World No. 2) will make their Olympic debuts in Milan. 

Despite his young age, 19-year-old Metodej Jilek stands as their biggest threat — and yet another hurdle for Dawson to clear.

Jilek began his breakout 2025-26 season with an unofficial world record in the 3000m (rendered unofficial because there were no ISU officials present at the race). He then landed on the podium in four of the five long distance races contested on the World Cup circuit this season, winning once each in the 5000m and 10,000m en route to his first overall World Cup season title. 

Jilek will look to continue the legacy of Czechian dominance in the long distance races established by three-time Olympic champion and 16-time long distance world champion Martina Sablikova. Sablikova — who has snapped seven world records, including one in the 3000m which has stood since 2019 — has earned at least one medal in four of her five Olympic appearances. If she finds her way to the podium in Beijing, she'll become the oldest speed skater to claim an Olympic medal (38), beating the record held by Finland's Julius Skutnabb since 1928. 

One day after Francesca Lollobrigida made history as the first Italian woman to earn Olympic speed skating gold and the first Italian to win an Olympic event since 2006, teammate Davide Ghiotto could challenge for a spot on another Olympic podium. Though he specializes in the 10,000m — he is the three-time reigning world champion and the current world record holder in the distance — the 32 year old landed in the top seven of each 5000m race this World Cup season.

Despite the challenge that lies ahead, Dawson remains optimistic.

"I feel really fit. I am the fittest I have ever been, pretty much," Dawson said. "I think I am even fitter than four years ago, which is crazy. I thought that was my peak level."