The 2026 Olympic Winter Games begin in three months in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo. American sports fans will be focused on the possible success of speed skater Jordan Stolz of West Bend, Wisconsin, who could be in contention to win five Olympic medals. If he happens to win five gold medals, Stolz will be in the conversation with Eric Heiden of Madison, Wisconsin, who won five Olympic gold medals at the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid.
This past weekend, the world’s best speed skaters competed in Salt Lake City, home of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and future home of the 2034 Olympic Winter Games. Stolz did win three World Cup gold medals (men’s 1000 metres on Friday, men’s 500 metres on Saturday, and men’s 1500 metres on Saturday), but the bigger story of the weekend was the fact three World Records were set. Let’s take look at the history that was made on the ice in Utah, that is considered the fastest in the world.
Timothy Loubineaud
Timothy Loubineaud of France set the World Record in the men’s 5000 metres on Friday. He had a winning time of 6:00.23. Nils van der Poel of Sweden set the previous World Record as he had a time of 6:01.56 at a World Cup in Salt Lake City on December 3, 2021.
In Salt Lake City on Friday, Loubineaud reached the podium by 4.17 seconds over American Casey Dawson, who had a fourth place time of 6:04.40. Metodej Jilek of the Czech Republic won the silver medal with a time of 6:02.78. Sander Eitrem of Norway won the bronze medal with a time of 6:03.38. A mass start specialist, Loubineaud won World Cups last year in Calgary and Nagano.
USA Men’s Team Pursuit
The United States set a world record in the men’s team pursuit on Sunday with a time of 3:32.49. The American team was comprised of Casey Dawson of Park City, Utah, Emery Lehman of Chicago, Illinois, and Ethan Cepuran of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Dawson, Lehman, and Cepuran won a bronze medal win the men’s team pursuit at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and a gold medal in the men’s team pursuit at the 2025 World Single Distance Championships in Hamar, Norway. Dawson, Lehman and Cepuran had the previous world record of 3:33.66 at a World Cup in Salt Lake City on January 27, 2024.
In Salt Lake City on Sunday, the United States had a winning time of 3:32.49. Norway won the silver medal with a time of 3:35.2, and China won the bronze medal with a time of 3:36.65. The United States reached the podium by 5.48 seconds over France. The French had Loubineaud on their team, and had a time of 3:37.97.
Femke Kok
Also on Sunday, the Netherlands’s Femke Kok set the World Record in the women’s 500 metres with a time of 36.09 seconds. Sang-Hwa Lee of South Korea had the old world record, also in Salt Lake City, on November 16, 2013, with a time of 36.36 seconds. Kok has won the World Championship in the women’s 500 metres the last three years.
Kok reached the podium in the women’s 500 metres by 0.97 seconds. Yukino Yoshida of Japan finished in fourth place with a time of 37.06 seconds. Erin Jackson of the United States won the silver medal with a time of 36.57 seconds. Na-Hyun Lee of South Korea won the bronze medal with a time of 37.03. In the World Cup women’s 500 metre standings, Kok leads with 120 points. Jackson is second with 108 points.
