OLYMPICS: Speed skating-Nuis says Stolz the man to beat but expects battle in 1,000m at Milano Cortina

MILAN – Jordan Stolz is speed skating’s hottest prospect as he heads into Wednesday’s men’s 1,000 meters at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, but a group of experienced rivals, led by three-time Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis, are ready to challenge the American star.

The 21-year-old Stolz arrives in Milan as the favorite for three individual events – the 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m – while also eyeing the unpredictable mass start. He starts his Games campaign in the 1,000m, where he already holds the world record.

Since making his Olympic debut as a 17-year-old in Beijing, finishing 13th in the 500m and 14th in the 1,000m, Stolz has become a world-class sprinter, winning six world championship titles.

But 36-year-old Nuis, chasing a fourth Olympic gold after victories in the 1,000m and 1,500m at Pyeongchang 2018 and the 1,500m at Beijing 2022, is not ready to step aside.

“Jordan is the man to beat, but behind him there are many guys with serious chances – including myself,” Nuis said Tuesday. “I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be a thrilling battle, and I’m totally up for that.”

Milano Cortina marks Nuis’ final Olympics. “My parents will be there, and finally my son as well, which is truly remarkable,” said the Dutchman, who holds world and Olympic records in the 1,500m. “This will be my last Games, so I intend to thoroughly enjoy it.”

The Dutch team enters the event on a high after Jutta Leerdam’s 1,000m gold in the women’s race on Monday, completing a Dutch one-two with Femke Kok.

Other medal contenders include 23-year-old Joep Wennemars, the 2025 world champion in the 1,000m and son of former world sprint champion Erben Wennemars. “I think it’s fair to say a record will be needed and everyone will be skating extremely hard,” he said.

-Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Milan; Editing by Clare Fallon/Reuters