'He's the show': American superstar speed skater Stolz ready to dazzle at hometown oval
3,000 fans expected to watch 20-year-old phenom compete in Milwaukee this weekend
Call it the Jordan Stolz effect.
It's been 20 years since a speed skating World Cup has been held at the Pettit National Center in Milwaukee. But after all of the mind-boggling success 20-year-old Jordan Stolz is having, World Cup racing is returning to Wisconsin this upcoming weekend.
It's stop number four on the circuit this season. And it's one of the hottest tickets in town.
"He's the show," said Stolz's coach, Bob Corby.
"Saturday and Sunday are sold out and there are just a few tickets left for Friday."
Capacity is set for around 3,000 spectators and Stolz's hometown oval will be buzzing every time he laces up. Fans are in a frenzy over the speed skating phenom.
It's a return to a state steeped in speed skating glory.
At the top of that list is Eric Heiden, who famously won five Olympic speed skating gold medals at the 1980 Games. Heiden was born in Madison, Wisconsin and is regarded as one of the best athletes on the planet – and is the measuring stick for all the other skaters.
Bonnie Blair trained at the Pettit National Centre in Milwaukee – she won five Olympic gold medals over three different Games. Dan Jansen, also an Olympic speed skating champion, was born and raised in a suburb of Milwaukee.
But it's been a while since the state with a long history of speed skating has produced a world-class skater – until now.
After compiling 19 consecutive World Cup wins – that includes the 500-metre, 1,000m and 1,500m distances – Stolz, who comes from Kewaskum, Wisconsin and trains at the Pettit Center, is rewriting the history books every time he takes to the ice.
WATCH | Stolz speaks to CBC Sports about expectations, Heiden comparisons:
He hasn't lost a World Cup race in his primary distances since December 2023.
This past weekend at the Olympic Oval in Calgary he once again swept all three distances, winning three gold medals and breaking the 1,000m and 1,500m track records inside the storied 38-year-old building.
In the span of about a year-and-a-half Stoz, who is just 20 years old, has gone from the hunter to the hunted.
"I kind of like it. It pushes me to train harder because when some people start winning a lot, they kind of get complacent and feel like they've already accomplished what they can," Stolz told CBC Sports.
"But I like the feeling of being the hunted one."
Rapid ascension
Stolz meteoric rise is astonishing. He made his Olympic debut when he was just 17 years old at the Beijing Games in 2022.
He finished 13th in the 500m and 14th in the 1,000m at those Olympics.
At the World Cup stop in Beijing this season in late-November, Stolz won the 500m in a time that would have won him gold and broken the Olympic record at that same oval in 2022.
WATCH | Stolz sets Olympic Oval track record in 1,500-metre in Calgary:
His 1,000m time at the same World Cup would have also won Olympic gold in 2022.
"I just wish I did it two years ago," Stolz said, jokingly.
All of this has many who cover and follow the sport drawing parallels between Heiden and Stolz – high praise for the young speed skater who continues to excel in the face of great expectations.
"I mean, how many skaters have been compared to him? That's kind of a small number. So that means a lot, actually. And, to think that even he himself told me that I could probably win five gold medals means a lot," Stolz said.
Stolz specializes in the shorter distances. He last skated in a 5000m event at a World Cup in Salt Lake City at the end of January last year and finished well off the pace. Stolz says the focus right now will remain on the 500, 1,000m and 1,500m.
"I don't know if I'll be doing that in the next Olympics, because I'm not quite in good enough shape to do that yet for the 10,000 meter. But maybe in the next few years it's a possibility," he said.
His parents, Jane and Dirk, will be cheering from the stands during every race. They were both in Calgary this past weekend and are preparing for a lot of excitement at home this weekend.
Jane says from a very early age Jordan was committed to the sport.
"He would stay outside on the backyard pond and just keep skating and skating," Jane said. "I would call him into the house over and over as it got dark and he would just stay out there practicing."
Dirk says it's pretty incredible his son is being included in that list of great skaters from their home state.
"It's great to see the sport come back to Milwaukee. Milwaukee was a huge centre back in the 1980s for speed skating. And Bonnie Blair, Dan Jansen and Eric Heiden came out of that area, and now we have Jordan there," Dirk said.
"So it's kind of nice to see it come back and catch a lot of interest and hopefully get new people into the space as well."
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