March 14, 2025 – Hamar, Norway – Team USA hit the podium three times Friday night during the ISU World Championships in Hamar, Norway. Jordan Stolz of Kewaskum, WI, and teammate Cooper McLeod finished No. 2 and No. 3 in the 500m behind Jenning De Boo of the Netherlands.
Stolz and McLeod were the 11th pair to skate the 500m and at the time Canadian Laurent Dubreuil had the time to beat at 34.53. Stolz entered the race with a personal best of 33.69 and McLeod’s PB was 34.15.
Reviewing the first 100m and the final lap, coach Bob Corby said De Boo had a magnificent race and simply “out skated Jordan.” Reviewing the past month, Corby said they are all learning that being healthy for an entire season is really key to winning.
“Jenning did a great job today,” said Corby. “He had a great opener and a great lap and the fact Jordan got sick a couple weeks ago that really threw a wrench into the entire season. It eliminated the last training block and it made us scramble to figure out exactly what to do on a daily basis. It’s a good lesson to learn on how bad sickness can mess up a season.”
Stolz, who finished with a time of 34.24, said he was aiming for a 9.5 out of the gate, but knocked down a 9.6. “Technically I thought I raced well, I skated the last outer good … but it wasn’t good enough,” he said.
Click HERE for a list of 500m men’s lap times
Questioned about the last month, coming back from pneumonia and strep throat, Stolz admitted that did not help. “I felt I got my power into the ice, but it will take a bit more time to build it back,” he said.
There’s little time to rest as Saturday is the 1000m followed by the 1500m on Sunday.
Stolz expected De Boo to bring his A game on Saturday. He said he would use the finish as a way to motivate himself over the summer.
This is the first silver medal at the ISU World Championships for Stolz in two years. He acknowledged De Boo not only won, but set a new track record in the 500m. “The track record was pretty old, about 17 years.” Stolz felt it was time for someone to make history.
The old 500m track record of 34.31 was set in January 2008 by Canadian Jeremy Wotherspoon. De Boo topped that with a skate of 34.24.
McLeod, who secured a bronze in the 500m, said he was motivated by Stolz, and his goal this weekend was to secure at least one medal. “To get an individual World medal is incredible,” said McLeod. “I was thinking I’d get it in the 1000m because that’s where I’ve been strong this year. I’ve missed out on the podium in the 500m about four times so far but to start the week this way is great.”
In an earlier race, Team USA won the men’s pursuit and set a new track record with a crushing finish of 3:39.24. Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, and Ethan Cepuran beat 2nd-place Italy by 1.93.
On a side note: There was a lot of buzz in the stands Friday night as professional boxer Jake Paul was in the audience to watch his Dutch Olympic speed skater Jutta Leerdam.
March 14, 2025 – Hamar, Norway – The ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships are underway in Hamar, Norway and Jordan Stolz of Kewaskum is a high-profile item. Stolz will be skating the 500m on Friday evening, Saturday the 1000m and Sunday the 1500m. The ISU World Championships are held at the iconic Vikingskipet Arena, the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics where Dan Jansen won gold in the 1000m with a time of 1:12.43.
Everywhere you turn, Stolz is featured in marketing for the World Championships. Even at the hotel lobby there’s a banner with his face and on the outside of the skating venue.
Stolz has a strong history in the World Championships. He is the reigning 2-time World Champion. In 2024 he won Gold 500m (National Record & Track Record); Gold 1000m (Track Record); Gold 1500m. In 2023 World Championships – Gold 500m; Gold 1000m; Gold 1500m.
The arena for the 2025 World Championships is impressive. The competition is at the Vikingskipet also known as The Viking Ship as the interior roofline resembles the keel of a Viking Ship. The Hamar Olympic Hall is the largest indoor sports venue in the world.
Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to support Jordan Stolz
Success already after Day 1 for Team USA as Austin Kleba, Cooper Mcloed., and Zach Stoppelmoor took the bronze in the men’s Team Sprint. The trio finished (1:19.23) behind China (1:18.13) and the Netherlands (1:18.42).
No doubt about it, the Dutch love their speed skating. The entire Vikingskipet arena is filled with a colorful array of brilliant orange from the Netherlands followed by the red, white, and blue Finnish flag. And hats… there are many Viking-esque hats.
On a side note:
- Flew to Norway Wednesday overnight and made it to the hotel in Hamar on Thursday with only one missed flight. Milwaukee to Atlanta to Paris … and then a lot of OJ Simpson running through the airport and finally secured a standby to Oslo. That was a wacky ordeal as a woman in first class wanted a window seat. None of the misters in first class would budge. I was the ‘standby’ seat in the next row – by the window and so we swapped. Yes, it appears on the ‘other side of the curtain’ on AirFrance you get lunch. Today it was Parisian-style salmon on herb sauce, bulgur wheat, cucumber and egg mimosa with Cantal PDO cheese, Forum de Montbrison PDO cheese, and a crunchy vanilla cream puff.
- From Oslo it was a short 1-hour 15 minute train ride on the Salgskvittering to Hamar. I love the mass transport in Europe. Very efficient, affordable, and lovely way to see the countryside which was full of old red barns, green fields, and a lot of future bicycling.
- Under the category of, “Why didn’t I think of that….” It could have only been better with bacon. This is for my baker friend Bill Hansen at Cedar Community.
- Hamar, Norway is extremely biker friendly. There is a covered corral for bicycles at the train stop and a network of paved paths that run parallel to the main streets. The width of the bike path is about as wide as a single lane for motorized vehicle traffic.
