The Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, is known as the fastest ice in the world.
Athletes can secure Olympic spots for themselves and their countries based on their World Cup performances.
Speed skater Jordan Stolz could qualify for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics at the World Cup in Utah.
KEARNS, Utah — The last time speed skater Jordan Stolz raced in a World Cup at the Olympic Oval, he set world and U.S. records on his way to a sweep of his four races.
This time, he could all but lock up a spot on his second Olympic team.
Speed skating’s World Cup season begins Friday at The Oval. It has the fastest ice in the world – Stolz’s record of 1:05.37 in the 1,000 meters is one of 15 current world records set here – so getting one of the two top-five finishes he needs to qualify for the Milano Cortina Olympics should be doable this weekend.
Stolz will race in the 1,000 meters, his best event, on Friday night. He’ll do the 500 meters and 1,500 meters Saturday, and another 500 meters Sunday. Beijing Olympic champion Erin Jackson, Brittany Bowe and Cooper McLeod also will be representing the United States at the World Cup.
‘I’m going to use these races in the World Cups to try and build my top end a little bit,’ Stolz said last month.
Stolz, 21, is poised to be the breakout star of Milano Cortina. He swept the 500 meters, 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters at both the 2023 and 2024 world championships, and won the overall World Cup titles in those three distances last season. And, despite his training hampered by pneumonia and strep throat, Stolz won silvers in the 500 and 1,500 meters and a bronze in the 1,000 meters at worlds in March.
Should Stolz win in each of his three distances in Milano Cortina, he’d join Eric Heiden as the only U.S. athlete to win three or more gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Heiden, a Wisconsin native like Stolz, famously won five golds at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, winning every speed skating race.
‘I just try not to think about all the things that people will say. I just try and focus on how I’m feeling and what I think is possible,’ Stolz said.
And that is?
‘I think many things are possible,’ Stolz said. ‘But I have to actually do it, so it’s not something that’s going to happen without even trying.’
Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s World Cup at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah:
Who’s competing
Because the World Cup circuit is also the easiest way to get to Milano Cortina, there will be a Who’s Who of speed skating at the Olympic Oval.
Stolz and Jackson’s biggest rivals, Jenning De Boo and Femke Kok, respectively, lead the mighty team from the Netherlands. The Dutch won 18 medals at the single-distance worlds last year, eight of them gold. Two of those golds were won by Joy Beune, the women’s all-around champion in 2024.
Also keep an eye on Japan’s Miho Takagi, who topped the World Cup standings in both the women’s 1,000 and 1,500 meters last year; and Italy’s Davide Ghiotto, the world-record holder in the men’s 10,000 meters.
US women are cooking, but the Dutch are dominant
Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson started their Olympic seasons off strong. Bowe finished fifth in the 1,000 meters, skating a 1:13.26 that was her best time since 2021. She was second to Canada’s Beatrice Lemarche after their pairing, but both were passed by the Netherlands’ Jutta Leerdam and Femke Kok. Marrit Fledderus, another Dutch woman who was skating in the last pairing, also edged Bowe. Jackson, meanwhile, skated a personal-best of 1:13.72 and finished eighth.
Fast start by American Casey Dawson
The records keep coming for Casey Dawson.
Dawson skated a U.S.-record 6:04.40 in finishing fourth in the men’s 5,000 meters Friday night. That was more than three seconds faster than the previous U.S. mark, which Dawson set in February at a World Cup in Milwaukee.
Dawson was 4.17 seconds behind Timothy Loubineaud of France, who set a world record with a time of 6:00.23.
‘I set the national record the last season, and I’m just coming in with a little bit more momentum from last season,’ Dawson said. ‘It just sets up the next couple World Cups and going into Olympic trials and then, ultimately, Milan a little bit better, a little bit easier.’
Friday night speedskating highlights
Tonight’s key events, featuring Stolz, Jackson, Bowe and others, have begun. Follow along for results and recaps.
What’s at stake?
Titles and points, just like at any World Cup. But with this being an Olympic year, athletes also can earn spots at the Milano Cortina Games, for themselves and their countries.
U.S. athletes can secure their own spot on the team two ways. First, if they won a medal at the single-distance world championships in March, they need to finish in the top five at the same distance in two of the four World Cups (Salt Lake; Calgary, Alberta; Heerenveen, Netherlands; and Hamar Norway) before the end of the year.
Stolz (silvers in the 500 and 1,500 meters and a bronze in the 1,000) and Cooper McLeod (bronze in the 500 meters) are the only Americans eligible for this pathway.
The second way for an athlete to secure a spot for themselves is to medal in the same distance at two World Cups.
The rest of the team for Milano Cortina – countries can send a maximum of nine men and nine women, based on their top athletes’ placement and times at the four World Cups – will be decided at the U.S. Olympic trials, which are Jan. 2-5, 2026, in Milwaukee.
Stream World Cup speed skating on Peacock
How to watch, streaming options
Live coverage of the three-day meet World Cup will be available on Peacock, with a highlights show airing Sunday afternoon on NBC.
Here’s the schedule (all times Eastern):
Friday, Nov. 14: Live coverage begins at 6 p.m. on Peacock
Saturday, Nov. 15: Live coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on Peacock
Sunday, Nov. 15: Highlights show at 2 p.m. on NBC; live coverage at 3 p.m. on Peacock.
Streaming options: NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports app
Competition schedule
(All times Eastern)
Friday, Nov. 14
1:25 p.m. — 3000m Women Division B
1:21 p.m. — 5000m Men Division B
4:09 p.m. — 1000m Women Division B
5:01 p.m. — 1000m Men Division B
7 p.m. — 3000m Women Division A
7:56 p.m. — 5000m Men Division A
9:14 p.m. — 1000m Women Division A
9:47 p.m. — 1000m Men Division A
Saturday, Nov. 15
1:05 p.m. — 1st 500m Women Division B
1:49 p.m. — 1st 500m Men Division B
3:30 p.m. — 1st 500m Women Division A
3:58 p.m. — 1st 500m Men Division A
4:37 p.m. — 1500m Women Division A
5:17 p.m. — 1500m Men Division A
7 p.m. — 1500m Women Division B
8:05 p.m. — 1500m Men Division B
Sunday, Nov. 16
12 p.m. — Team Pursuit Women Division B
12:23 p.m. — eam Pursuit Men Division B
12:51 — 2nd 500m Women Division B
1:28 p.m. — 2nd 500m Men Division B
2:28 p.m. — Mass Start Women Division B
2:49 p.m. — Mass Start Men Division B
4 p.m. — Team Pursuit Women Division A
4:28 p.m. — Team Pursuit Men Division A
5:06 p.m. — 2nd 500m Women Division A
5:34 p.m. — 2nd 500m Men Division A
6:17 p.m. — Mass Start Women Division A
6:38 p.m. — Mass Start Men Division A