MILAN — On the night he won his second gold medal at these Olympics, speedskating phenom Jordan Stolz pondered an intriguing question.

Would he consider his Olympics a success if he accomplished nothing more? Could he return home to Wisconsin satisfied with having proven that he’s the fastest skater on the planet over 500 and 1,000 meters?

Stolz’s answer offered a window into the mindset of an athlete in peak form, one with ambitions of achieving something truly historic in Milan. These Olympics would only be a “partial success,” according to Stolz, if he didn’t also check taking gold in the 1,500 off his to-do list.

“I’ve been so good in that distance for so long,” Stolz said, “so I hope I can win that one too.” 

Five days later, in front of a roaring crowd, Stolz fell short in his bid to become the first athlete in 46 years to complete speedskating’s sprint treble at an Olympics. Stolz finished second in the 1,500 in a time of 1:42.75 on Thursday, leaving him with two gold medals and a silver with one race still left to contest before he leaves Milan. 

Since Stolz had the luxury of skating in the final pair of the competition, the 21-year-old knew the exact time that he needed to beat as he stood at the starting line. Two pairs earlier, Zhongyan Ning of China had completed the three-and-three-quarters-lap race in an Olympic record time of 1:41.98 and was hoping that his time might hold up.