American Jordan Stolz won his second title in as many days at the world speed skating championships. Next, he will try to become the first man to win three individual golds at a single distance worlds.
Stolz, an 18-year-old who honed his skating on a Wisconsin pond, won the 1000m in 1 minute, 7.11 seconds in Heerenveen, Netherlands. He prevailed by 67 hundredths over Olympic champion Thomas Krol of the Netherlands.
“I don’t expect to be skating that much faster than the best skaters in the world,” Stolz told Dutch broadcaster NOS, “but somehow I am.”
It marked the third-largest margin of victory in the event since the world single distance championships began in 1996, according to Speedskatingstats.com.
It was similar dominance to Friday, when Stolz won the 500m to become the youngest world champion in history. In both races, Stolz skated the second-fastest time in history for a sea level rink. Most of the fastest times in history are set at altitude -- Calgary or Salt Lake City.
Stolz races the 1500m on Sunday at worlds, live on Peacock.
“I think I have a good chance in it,” Stolz said. “Hopefully [the 500m and 1000m] doesn’t take too much snap out of my legs. ... If I can get three for three, that would be the end-of-the-season celebration.”
Stolz joined Shani Davis, who coached Stolz in the past, as the only American men to win two titles at one world single distance championships. More recently, Heather Bergsma and Brittany Bowe did it on the women’s side.
German women Anni Friesinger (2003) and Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (1997) won three events at a single worlds.
The world single distance championships began in 1996. Before that, skaters did win three or more events at the world allround championships, which crown one champion combining results from sprint and distance races and date officially to 1893.
Stolz has been the breakout story of the sport this season.
After placing 13th and 14th in his Olympic debut last year, he became the youngest man to win a World Cup race, then won three more World Cup races and swept the 500m, 1000m and 1500m at last month’s world junior championships.
Stolz is the third speed skater in history to win junior and senior world titles in the same season after fellow Wisconsin natives Eric Heiden and Beth Heiden.
“I’m a little bit tired, but nothing near what I can be,” he said.
Later Saturday, Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands won the women’s 1000m, a year after taking Olympic silver. She prevailed by 1.23 seconds over countrywoman Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong.
Miho Takagi of Japan, the Olympic champion, was third. Americans Kimi Goetz and Bowe, the defending world champion, were fourth and fifth.
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