Jordan Stolz secured the gold medal in the 1500-meter speed skating event following a silver medal performance in the 500-meter race, while Dutch skater Kjeld Nuis claimed the bronze on Sunday.
This report is based on coverage from the NOS Schaatsen, published in the Netherlands.
Stolz, a 21-year-old American, demonstrated his dominance in the 1500-meter race by finishing 1.2 seconds ahead of China’s Zhongyan Ning. Earlier in the evening, Stolz had earned a silver medal in the 500-meter event, where he was narrowly surpassed by Poland’s Damian Zurek, who set a track record. His strong performance on the longer distance established Stolz as the leading competitor in this World Cup season for the 1500 meters.
Kjeld Nuis, a 36-year-old from Leiden competing in his 174th World Cup start, delivered a solid race, posting the third-best time of 1:43.81. Although unable to match Stolz’s pace, Nuis opened the race with the fastest initial split but could not maintain that speed throughout. Reflecting on his result, Nuis expressed pride in his effort, calling Stolz’s achievements extraordinary and noting his own standing as the only Dutch medalist at the World Cup level in that distance this season.
Other Dutch competitors did not reach the podium. Tim Prins, who qualified for the event but was replaced by Marcel Bosker, finished twelfth with a time of 1:45.13. Tijmen Snel came in fifteenth, recording 1:45.49. On the 500-meter distance, Zurek’s victory over Stolz marked a notable development as it introduced another strong contender for upcoming competitions. Dutch skater Jenning de Boo finished seventh, while Joep Wennemars and Sebas Diniz placed thirteenth and twelfth respectively, not contending for medals.
Stolz’s combined results further secured his lead in the World Cup standings for the 500-meter event despite not winning the initial race of the weekend. The next 500-meter race is scheduled for Sunday, where top skaters will compete again.
