Exclusive: Jordan Stolz and coach Bob Corby reflect on their journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics

MILWAUKEE — At the Pettit National Ice Center, 21-year-old speed skating sensation Jordan Stolz trains alongside his coach Bob Corby, preparing for what could be his breakout moment at the 2026 Olympics. Their partnership, built on trust and an old-school training philosophy, has transformed Stolz from a promising teenager into one of the world's most dominant speed skaters.

The relationship began when Stolz was just 14 years old and found himself without a coach. Despite their significant age gap, the pairing has proven remarkably successful.

"I prefer having kind of like an older school coach," Stolz laughed. "I feel like we train harder than a lot of teams and probably than most people in the world, I guess."

Corby first met Stolz at a short track speed skating meet in Madison when the skater was 12 years old. Three years later, when Stolz called asking for coaching help, Corby couldn't refuse.

"It was really flattering to have a young kid call you, but then just also like oh my god – how can I turn him down?" Corby chuckled. "A teenager calls me and asks me to help? I can't say no."

Stolz admitted he was nervous about making that phone call.

"I was worried if he would say no, right?" Stolz said, laughing.

Watch: Jordan Stolz and coach Bob Corby reflect on their journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics

The early years focused on building Stolz's foundation. Corby introduced intensive off-ice training during the summer months, something Stolz hadn't experienced before.

"He hadn't really done much off-ice training in the summertime, and so then I asked him if he wanted a training program. He said he would do anything, and so I wrote him up a pretty hard training program," Corby said.

The results were immediate and dramatic.

"It helped a lot. I got way stronger, and the next season I could already feel it, so I think it made a huge difference," Stolz said.

By 17, Stolz had earned a spot on Team USA for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, becoming the youngest member of the squad. However, the COVID-19 restrictions created an isolating experience that affected his performance.

"It wasn't something that I was like used to. I was just starting out, going on World Cups and stuff, and then now I'm in China," Stolz said.

Ashley Landis/AP

Corby watched from afar as his young athlete struggled without family or coaching support.

"It was really terrible. I could hear the depression in his voice," Corby said. "We thought he was going to get like in the top six or eight in the races that he was doing, and he got 12th and 13th, and so it wasn't good for a 17-year-old to be in jail at the Olympics."

Stolz acknowledged the mental toll affected his racing.

"It was just something that you don't really notice is affecting your performance until, you know, you get to the races, and then you kind of do worse than you thought you would do," Stolz said.

The disappointing Olympic debut became fuel for motivation. Upon returning to the United States, Stolz channeled his frustration into training.

"After the Olympics, I was like super motivated to try and get better. I could see where I could progress, and over the summer I trained super hard, and the first two World Cups back I was able to win the 1000 and 1500," Stolz said.

The rapid improvement caught even Corby off guard.

"I was like, oh, oh! Now what are we – oh my god, you weren't supposed to do that! So I mean, he was getting better so fast that I had to rush to catch up," Corby said.

Since that breakthrough, Stolz has accumulated an impressive resume: more than 40 World Cup medals, seven world championships, becoming the youngest World Allround champion, and setting a world record in the 1000 meters.

Now, with the 2026 Olympics approaching, Stolz has his sights set on the one achievement that has eluded him.

"After all the training and everything I've done — all the races — like this is kind of the one thing that matters the most, so if I can do that, it's I think the highest achievement you can get in speed skating," Stolz said.

When asked about potentially winning multiple medals, Stolz smiled confidently.

"Hope so," Stolz said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.