"Jordan Stolz pictured this moment most of his life, ever since he was 5 years old, learning to skate on a frozen pond in his Wisconsin backyard after falling in love with speedskating during the 2010 Winter Olympics -- and hoping to one day step atop the podium himself. So what was the little hassle of a 10-or-so-minute wait to make sure this first speedskating gold medal would be his Wednesday?"
"Skating in the next-to-last pairing at Milano Speed Skating Stadium, a temporary facility constructed for these Olympics that has been producing fast times so far, Stolz finished in 1 minute, 6.28 seconds. The 21-year-old didn't threaten his world record of 1:05.37 but did better the Olympic standard of 1:07.18 that had stood since 2002 -- before Stolz was born. All four long track speedskating races in Milan have been won in the fastest times ever turned in at an Olympics."
Jordan Stolz won the men's 1,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Games in an Olympic-record 1:06.28. Stolz began skating at age 5 on a frozen backyard pond after watching the 2010 Winter Olympics. He waited about 10 minutes for a competitor's re-skate before celebrating and then received his gold. The Milano Speed Skating Stadium has produced fast times, and Stolz's mark beat the long-standing Olympic standard of 1:07.18 though it did not surpass his world record of 1:05.37. Jenning de Boo took silver, Zhongyan Ning won bronze, and Stolz entered three more events. The victory is the United States' first men's 1,000-meter Olympic medal since 2010.
Read at ESPN.com
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