Olympics-Speed skating-Stolz hunts third gold as Nuis makes final Games bid in 1,500m

By Pearl Josephine Nazare

MILAN, Feb 18 (Reuters) - American standout Jordan Stolz will chase a third gold in Thursday's men's 1,500 metres at the Winter Games, while three-times champion Kjeld Nuis aims to close out his illustrious career with one final medal in his Olympic farewell.

Stolz delivered on the huge expectations surrounding him by storming to the 1,000m title last Wednesday and grabbed the spotlight again on Saturday with victory in the 500m - both in Olympic-record times.

The 21-year-old is the only U.S. speed skater to win gold so far at Milano Cortina and is the overwhelming favourite to win the 1,500m.

But the challenge from Nuis remains formidable. The 36-year-old Dutchman is the Olympic record holder in the 1,500m, and holds the world record of one minute 40.17 seconds.

He is the defending champion, having claimed the title at Beijing 2022 and Pyeongchang 2018, where he also won the 1,000m.

"He (Stolz) is obviously the one to beat," Nuis said on Wednesday. "He has to make a mistake for us to beat him, but I do not think he is going to make any mistakes.

"Everyone is fully focused. Nobody is going to make a mistake at this point, and definitely not him," he added.

"I have a lot of respect for him. We all maybe hoped he would crack under the pressure of representing the United States at the Olympic Games. That has not always been a good match. But he ... just lives up to all expectations. He is so calm.

"I do not go out there hoping someone is going to have an off day. I want to skate my best race, and hopefully it will be enough for a medal."

The Dutch have already collected nine medals in speed skating, including golds from Jutta Leerdam in the women's 1,000m and Femke Kok in the women's 500m.

Nuis, who finished sixth in the 1,000m last week, said the weight of the moment is starting to land.

"I arrived here saying to myself, 'Just enjoy it, your last Olympic race, it does not matter what is going to happen.' But now I am like, 'I need to win a medal.' So, I'm feeling a bit nervous. But I should be feeling that as well. I need it to perform," he said.