MILWAUKEE (AP) — A day after an early stumble in the 1,000 meters, star speed skater Jordan Stoltz was smooth and fast in the 500 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials on Sunday, finishing first in 34.76 seconds.
He had already pre-qualified for the distance through the World Cup and only needed to take part in the trials to officially qualify for the Winter Olympics in Cortina in Milan. The same applies to the 1000 and 1500 races scheduled for later Sunday and the mass start on Monday.
Stolz shrugged about his 500m performance, telling NBC that “normally I would be a lot faster, but right now it's good because I'm training.”
His focus is on the Olympics themselves, not the trials, which are held at Pettit National Ice Center, about 40 minutes south of his hometown of Kewaskum.
In Saturday's 1,000-meter race, his first race and in which he set a world record, Stolz lost his balance early on and fell to the ice in a stunning mistake. But he immediately got up and showed the third fastest time.
Cooper McLeod, who was second in the 1000 meters, was next in the 500 meters, 0.06 seconds behind Stolz. While three Americans will qualify for the 1,000 at the Olympics, which run from Feb. 6 to 22, Stoltz is still the only one guaranteed a spot.
That's because there are other women's and men's 500-meter races on Monday, and each skater's best time over the two days is what matters.
Erin Jackson, the reigning gold medalist in the women's 500 meters, had also already pre-qualified and only needed to show up at the start line in Milwaukee for that race. Like Stoltz, she did much more than that, posting her fastest time on Sunday in 38.15 seconds, a day after winning the 1,000.
The Americans have two spots in the Olympic 500, with the other to be determined on Monday, the final day of qualifying.
Sarah Warren was second among women on Sunday in 38.86.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
