RHO, Italy − Jordan Stolz is OK with publishing the photo − as long as the full context is explained.
It was snapped by his good friend and blade technician, Mark Yanagihara, who captured the moment on the athlete bus on the way to what would be Stolz’s 500-meter Olympic-record-winning race Saturday, Feb. 14.
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That’s Stolz − wearing a mullet wig.
Olympic gold-medal speed skater Jordan Stolz wears a wig on the bus on the way to the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on Feb. 14.
The back story story involves four-time Olympic speed-skating medalist and legend, Jorrit Bergsma. He’s a Dutch skater on Team Zaanlander and he just won a bronze medal in the 10,000 meters. Bergsma is also 40 years young.
Team Zaanlander is a Dutch long-distance speed-skating club that was Stolz’s very first and, for about two years only, sponsor.
And while everyone is calling Stolz “stoic,” he’s got quite a wild friend in Bergsma.
“Jorrit Bergsma has a big mullet and he has refused to cut it until the Olympics are over,” Stolz’s coach Bob Corby said. “He got a bronze at 40 years old and is on Jordan’s Zaanlander team. A bunch of his friends − about 25 − all bought those [wigs] and were in the stands for the 10,000.
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“Then his coaches put them on in celebration. One of the coaches gave Jordan one and he wore it into the rink.”
Jordan Stolz of the United States reacts after winning the 500-meter speed skating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 14, 2026.
According to Olympic.com, the group of friends are known as the “Matties.” That’s Dutch for mates and playfully close to the Dutch word for mullet. They fill the stands wearing matching headbands and mullet hairstyles.
“It started spontaneously at the Dutch qualifiers,” Bergsma told the media and Olympics.com. “When I finished my race, I saw such a big group all rocking that same hairstyle. It was so much fun.”
Bergsma is married to Heather Richardson − a famous American skater who skated with Brittany Bowe.
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Stolz and Bergsma will race the Mass Start together as the last speed-skating race of the Olympics.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Wisconsin native Jordan Stolz is a speed skating phenom and he’s back in the Olympics for a second time.
The 21-year-old will compete in four events at the 2026 Winter Olympic games in Italy: the 1,000 meters, 500 meters, 1,500 meters and mass start.
Scroll through this gallery to see the Kewaskum native at the Olympics.
1 / 19
See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Wisconsin native Jordan Stolz is a speed skating phenom and he’s back in the Olympics for a second time.
The 21-year-old will compete in four events at the 2026 Winter Olympic games in Italy: the 1,000 meters, 500 meters, 1,500 meters and mass start.
Scroll through this gallery to see the Kewaskum native at the Olympics.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Kewaskum’s Jordan Stolz began his Olympics with his first-ever Olympic gold when he dominated the field in the men’s speed skating 1,000 meters event on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz won the 1,000 meters with an Olympic-record time of 1:06.28. The previous Olympic record of 1:07.18 by Gerard van Velde of the Netherlands had stood since 2002.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Kewaskum’s Jordan Stolz takes a victory lap after winning gold in men’s speed skating 1,000 meters during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz now adds the Olympic record to his world record in the 1,000 meters. The previous Olympic record of 1:07.18 by Gerard van Velde of the Netherlands had stood since 2002.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz celebrates with coach Bob Corby after winning gold in the men’s speed skating 1,000 meters at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz’s gold-medal performance in the 1,000 meters on Feb. 11 was the largest margin of victory in the event at the Olympics since 1984.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz acknowledges the crowd from the podium during the medal ceremony for his gold-medal performance in the 1,000 meters on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz of the United States reacts during the men’s speed skating 1,000 meters during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Gold medalist Jordan Stolz of Team USA celebrates after the speed skating men’s 1,000 meters.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz celebrates with his coach Bob Corby after his gold-medal winning skate in the 1,000 meters.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz embraces his coach, Bob Corby, after wining the men’s 1,000 meters at the Olympics. It was Stolz’s first Olympic gold.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Gold tastes good!
Jordan Stolz (middle) poses for a photo with Netherlands’ silver medalist Jenning de Boo (left) and China’s bronze medalist Ning Zhongyan after the speed skating men’s 1,000 meters event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, Italt, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz drapes the American flag over his shoulders for a victory lap after winning the 1,000 men’s speed skating.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz reacts after his gold-medal winning performance in the 1,000 meters on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Jordan Stolz takes a victory lap after winning gold in men’s speed skating 1,000 meters on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Gold medalist Jordan Stolz of the United States on the podium during the medal ceremony for the men’s speed skating 1000m during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Gold medalist Jordan Stolz takes a selfie with silver medalist Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands and bronze medalist Zhongyan Ning of the People’s Republic of China take a photo on the podium during the medal ceremony after the 1,000 meters of the men’s speed skating event on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
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See Jordan Stolz at 2026 Winter Olympics, gold-medal speed skating star
Gold medalist Jordan Stolz (middle) stands on the podium with silver medalist Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands and bronze medalist Zhongyan Ning of the People’s Republic of China during the medal ceremony for the men’s speed skating 1,000 meters on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: This is side of Olympic gold-medalist Jordan Stolz you have never seen