Zhongyan Ning, a Chinese speed skater, won the gold medal in the 1500-meter race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, setting a new Olympic record.
According to Sports Yahoo, the 26-year-old athlete from Heilongjiang, China, delivered an outstanding performance with a time of 1:41.98, surpassing American favorite Jordan Stolz, who took the silver medal with a time 0.77 seconds slower. This was an unexpected result as Stolz aimed for his third gold medal at these Games.
Zhongyan Ning’s victory marked the first time a Chinese speed skater has won the Olympic 1500-meter event. Prior to this, Ning had achieved notable success by winning gold in the 1000-meter and 1500-meter races at the 2025 Asian Games. Additionally, he served as China’s flag bearer during the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
In addition to the 1500m gold, Ning also earned two bronze medals at the Games: one in the men’s team pursuit and another in the 1000-meter event. His 1500-meter time set a new Olympic record, with several other skaters—including Stolz and Dutch competitors Kjeld Nuis and Joep Wennemars—also beating the previous Olympic record of 1:43.21 during the race. However, the world record of 1:40.17, held by Nuis and set at the 2019 ISU World Cup Speed Skating Final, remains unbroken.
The final standings in the 1500-meter race saw Ning in first place, Stolz second, and Kleld Nuis third, followed by Joep Wennemars, Daniele di Stefano, Pedar Kongshaug, Min-Seok Kim, Gabriel Odor, Sander Eitrem and Vladimir Semirunny rounding out the top ten finishers.
