Stolz talks more World Cup glory as he targets Milano Cortina 2026

Wisconsin’s result could be the start of a trophy-filled season. He continued his winning streak with gold in the 500m and 1,500m at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Hachinohe.

“Japan is going to be interesting. Obviously we’re going to experience a little time difference when we race there,” Stolz said of the Nagano World Cup which will be followed by the second stage in Beijing from November 29 to December 1.

“It will be a good test. The ice is different there, so it’s good to practice and get used to competing again. It’s going to be a little more difficult than racing here and then leading to the World Cup in Milwaukee, where I hope to run very fast because the ice is very fast.

The seven-time world champion, who was invincible in almost every event he competed in last season, knows it will take a lot to continue that trend.

“The 1500s seem to be okay. 1000m, I guess my biggest threat is Ning (Zhongyan) from China. I haven’t seen any moments there, so it will be interesting to see what he does when we get to Japan. 500 m, there will be a little more competition this year with Jenning de Boo from the Netherlands.

“We’ll see how close they can get…I think if I really have to, I can sharpen myself enough to be able to stay one step ahead of them.”

There’s something else on his radar too…

“The overall World Cup points are something I haven’t won yet… I’d like to do it over three distances if it’s possible… if I can do it, it would be a great feat, and it would be something well ahead of the Olympic year.