Entering the final day of competition at the Speed Skating World Cup in Heerenveen, Netherlands, the question wasn’t whether the American speed skating team could compete with the dominant Dutch squad on their home ice. The question was just how fast Jordan Stolz could actually go.
On Sunday, (Dec. 7), the 21-year-old phenom answered that question emphatically. Stolz captured his third speed skating gold medal of the weekend, putting an exclamation point on a historic performance that saw him dismantle track records in three different distances.
In the Men’s 500m, Stolz blazed across the finish line in a blistering 33.90 seconds. The performance was enough to edge out local favorite Jenning de Boo, who finished second.
American Speed Skating Veterans and Teams Find the Podium
While Stolz grabbed the headlines, he wasn’t the only American finding success on Sunday. In a sport often defined by youth, 36-year-old Mia Manganello proved she still has plenty speed skating left in the tank. Manganello secured a silver medal in the Women’s Mass Start, marking her third career individual medal. It was a gritty performance that saw her split the Dutch domination, finishing between gold medalist Marijke Groenewoud and the rest of the field.
The success continued in the speed skating team events. The U.S. trio of Conor McDermott-Mostowy, Cooper McLeod, and Zach Stoppelmoor coordinated a seamless effort in the Men’s Team Sprint. They stopped the clock at 1:18.16, earning a silver medal. While they couldn’t quite catch the Dutch team, who set a new track record of 1:17.22 to take gold, the result reinforces the depth of the American men’s program heading toward the Olympic year.
Injuries and Challenges on the Road to Norway
It wasn’t a perfect day for Team USA, however. The physical toll of the World Cup circuit was evident as reigning Olympic champion Erin Jackson was forced to scratch from the Women’s 500m due to a hamstring injury. Her absence left the door open for the Netherlands to sweep the podium in that event.
Additionally, Stolz showed he is human after all. Despite his sprint dominance, he placed 23rd in the Men’s Mass Start earlier in the day, an event won by Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands.
The focus now shifts to Hamar, Norway, for the next leg of the World Cup tour from December 12-14. This upcoming competition serves as the final window for skaters to secure 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina quota spots for their countries.
Final Results: Sunday, December 7
Here are the podium finishers for the final day of competition in Heerenveen:
- Men’s 500m
- Jordan Stolz (USA)
- Jenning de Boo (NED)
- Wataru Morishige (JPN)
- Women’s 500m
- Femke Kok (NED)
- Jutta Leerdam (NED)
- Marrit Fledderus (NED)
- Men’s Mass Start
- Jorrit Bergsma (NED)
- Chung Jae-Won (KOR)
- Bart Hoolwerf (NED)
- Women’s Mass Start
- Marijke Groenewoud (NED)
- Mia Manganello (USA)
- Park Ji-Woo (KOR)
- Men’s Team Sprint
- Netherlands
- United States
- Norway
- Women’s Team Sprint
- Netherlands
- Canada
- Poland
