US speed skater Jordan Stolz wins 500m, sets Olympic record

MILAN -- American speed skating phenomenon Jordan Stolz once again stole the spotlight on Saturday, rocketing to the men's 500 meters title at the Winter Olympics and securing his second gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games.

Stolz already had met the towering expectations by winning the men's 1,000m on Wednesday, the United States' first speed skating gold of the Games.

On Saturday, he topped a podium completed by Dutchman Jenning de Boo with silver and Canada's Laurent Dubreuil with bronze.

The 21-year-old Stolz, from Wisconsin, blasted to an Olympic-record time of 33.77, finishing 0.11 seconds clear of de Boo.

Drawn in the 13th of 15 pairs and starting from the inner lane, Stolz powered off the line before unleashing the explosive top-end speed that has become his trademark.

De Boo pushed hard to keep the American within reach, clipping the barrier after crossing the line as Stolz saluted a raucous crowd heavily dominated by Dutch supporters.

Earlier, Dubreuil -- racing in the 10th pair -- - broke the Olympic record with a time of 34.26, before Stolz shattered it minutes later.

--Reuters, special to Field Level Media