Men's Mass Start Final Sees Jordan Stolz Fall Short of Fourth Medal
Jordan Stolz, the 21-year-old from Wisconsin, finished fourth in the men's mass start final, missing a bid for a fourth Olympic medal and leaving the Games with three overall — two golds and one silver. The race unfolded as a bold early breakaway that left the chasing pack scrambling, turning what might have been a medal battle into a fight for consolation places.
Men's Mass Start Final Recap
The 16-lap mass start turned chaotic when Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands and Viktor Hald Thorup of Denmark broke away early and built a decisive lead, at times extending to roughly 20 seconds. Bergsma crossed the line well clear and encouraged the crowd as he finished. Bergsma's winning time was recorded at 7: 55. 50, nearly five seconds ahead of Thorup. Italy's Andrea Giovannini outsprinted Stolz for third, with Stolz taking fourth after mounting a late charge with fewer than three laps remaining.
Stolz's Olympic Medal Tally
Stolz leaves the Games with three medals: golds in the 500 and 1, 000 meters and a silver in the 1, 500. Had he prevailed in the men's mass start final, he would have added a fourth medal and achieved a historic haul for an American long-track skater. After the race, Stolz said he felt other skaters were content to jockey for third rather than work together to close the gap, and he acknowledged the tactical constraints that shaped his choices late in the contest.
Why the Breakaway Worked
The race demonstrated how a committed early move can neutralize the favorites. When Bergsma and Thorup opened a large margin, the skaters left in the chase group conserved energy and waited for someone else to take responsibility for closing the gap. Stolz held position near the front of that group for much of the middle laps but said that accelerating too early would have left him drained for the final sprint. By the time he attacked, the gap to the leaders was effectively insurmountable, and the battle among those behind became a sprint for the remaining podium spot.
Implications and Forward Look
The result underscores a clear conditional scenario: when an early pair commits to a long-range break and sustains a multi-second lead, the chasing pack faces a difficult choice between an exhausting pursuit and settling for placings. If teams or contenders do not share the work to reel in a breakaway, the race dynamic can harden into a fight for lower medals rather than a head-to-head sprint for gold. For Stolz, the takeaway is a confirmed standout performance across these Games — three medals at a young age — while organizers and competitors will continue analyzing mass-start tactics for future events.
As the Games wind down, other events and ceremony plans remain on the schedule, offering one last day of competition and spectacle for athletes and fans alike.
