U.S. speedskater Jordan Stolz raced one final time at the 2026 Winter Games for a chance to take home a fourth medal during the men’s mass start final on Saturday.

MILAN, Italy — The final speedskating event at the Milan Cortina Games had a shocking finish. 

The men’s mass start speedskating final began at 10:40 a.m. Eastern, with Team USA’s Jordan Stolz starting seventh in the discipline. He was the only U.S. competitor racing in the event.


Men’s mass start results

In a surprise upset, Stolz was unable to win his third gold medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games on Saturday. Not only that, he failed to place within the top three.  

The men’s and women’s mass start events were among the final batch of medals to be awarded before the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. 

Stolz, who qualified in fourth place earlier during the semifinals, finished in fourth place in the final. 

The Netherland’s Jorrit Bergsma won gold and Denmark’s Viktor Hald Thorup won silver. Italy’s Andrea Giovannini won bronze. 

Team USA athlete Ethan Cepuran was the only other American to qualify for the men’s semifinal event, but he did not advance to the final medal event, falling short of the final by one point.

This was Stolz’s fourth and final Olympic event in Italy. He previously won gold in the 500 and 1,000 meters before taking silver in the 1,500 meters. He didn’t compete in the 5,000-meter or 10,000-meter events.


How does mass start speed skating work? 

Athletes, between 16 and 24 total, line up together on the long track and start at the same time. They race for 16 laps, and the first three skaters to cross the line take gold, silver and bronze.

In most cases, like other speed skating events, the pace starts slow and picks up toward the final laps. When people begin to try to overtake their competitors, it can lead to slips, falls and disqualifications.