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Chinese speed skater Ning Zhongyan beat the odds, upending pre-race favourite Jordan Stolz of the United States to win the men’s Olympic 1,500 metres on Thursday.
Ning, who claimed bronze in the men’s 1,000 on Feb. 11, delivered an Olympic-record performance in one minute 41.98 seconds, minutes before Stolz raced in the 15th and final pairing at Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
“After the Beijing Winter Olympics, the level in speed skating just kept getting higher and higher.,” Ning, who was seventh in the 2022 final in 1:45.28, told reporters. “It felt like there was a mountain in front of me, and no matter what I did, I just could not get past it.
“But I never stopped believing in myself. I kept telling myself to stay patient, to keep putting in the work, to trust that all the effort would add up one day.
“Today was that day,” Ning went on. “Even now, it still feels a little unreal that I was able to do this.”
Seconds before Stolz took the line, Ning said he was still digesting his record effort.
“I still did not think the gold was mine [while he raced]. He has been in incredible form all season,” Ning pointed out. “Even after he crossed the line, I was still not completely sure.
“It was only when the result was confirmed that it started to sink in. It is an amazing feeling.”
The 21-year-old Stolz stood fifth through 700 metres moved to fourth a lap later before climbing two spots into silver position over the final 400 metres to clock 1:42.75.
“Ning had the race of his life,” Stolz, who set Olympic marks in winning the 500 and 1,000 earlier at these Games, told CBC Sports, adding the slower-than-expected start didn’t match his effort. “I thought maybe on a good day I could probably catch that time but today wasn’t the day.
‘I’m still happy with silver’
“I didn’t quite feel it [my A form] from the beginning of the race. I didn’t have it in the legs but I’m still happy with silver and three medals.”
Two-time defending champion Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands took bronze in 1:42.82.
David La Rue of Saint-Lambert, Que., was top Canadian in Thursday’s race, 15th in the 30-man field in 1:46.02 at his first Olympics. Teammate Daniel Hall of Salmon Arm, B.C. was 23rd (1:46.91).
The 36-year-old Nuis, competing in his final Olympic race, held the previous Games mark of 1:43.21 from four years ago in Beijing.
“It’s the cherry on the cake. This was my last chance. That’s what I said: I wanted it so bad —which colour didn’t even matter. I just wanted to step on that podium and wave to my family and to my [son Jax]. I’m super proud. “
A win Thursday by Stolz would have made him the second American athlete to collect three or more gold medals in any sport at a single Winter Games.
Fellow Wisconsin native Eric Heiden took gold in each of his five speed skating events at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Stolz, the reigning two-time World Cup champion in the 1,500, won eight of the last nine races on the World Cup circuit.
