Jordan Stolz officially secures Olympic spot despite illness at speed skating trials

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Wisconsin's Jordan Stolz has officially secured his spot on Team USA for the upcoming Winter Olympics, despite battling illness and stumbling during Saturday's 1,000-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Trials.

The Kewaskum native had already prequalified for the Olympics before the trials began, meaning he only needed to start Saturday's race to earn his Olympic bid. That safety net proved crucial as Stolz finished third while dealing with dehydration and fatigue.

"It more so affected the last two days in preparation. Just sitting around trying to do my best to recover from it and been a little cramped up because I've been dehydrated, so that was more of the issue today," Stolz said.

His coach Bob Corby remains optimistic about Stolz's Olympic prospects despite Saturday's third-place finish (1:07.968).

"His legs are tired right now because we trained so hard in the last two weeks, and then he only took two days rest for these trials," Corby said. "If there's any indication about how high he's going to peak based off of what the work that he's done before – like the last two weeks – he's going to fly."

The other two men's spots went to first-time Olympians Conor McDermott-Mostowy (1:07.606), who won the race, and Cooper McCleod, who finished second (1:07.845).

McDermott-Mostowy called his victory "redemption" after missing the Olympics four years ago when he finished fourth in two distances while battling illness.

"It feels like redemption, honestly. Four years ago, I was pretty sick going into the Olympic trials and finished fourth, I think, in two distances. So one off in two races, which was absolutely devastating. But yeah, it's quite a relief and feels like redemption to not only come back and qualify, but to come back and win," McDermott-Mostowy said.

On the women's side, veterans Erin Jackson and Brittany Bowe secured their Olympic spots. Jackson won the 1,000-meter race (1:14.625), while world record holder Bowe finished second (1:15.016) to earn her fourth consecutive Olympic berth.

"You know, sport is one of the few things that brings our entire country together, so to be a part of that is truly, truly an honor," Bowe said.

Jackson, who made history at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal in speed skating, expressed excitement about representing Team USA for a third consecutive time.

"It's an amazing feeling. I feel like the Games really bring everyone together. It's just a cool thing for people to sit around the TV and watch, so I'm always happy to represent Team USA," Jackson said.

The trials continue Sunday with the 500-meter event, where Jackson will compete in the same distance that brought her Olympic gold in Beijing, followed by the 1,500-meter.

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