Speed skating at the Olympics
Competition too strong – Sonnekalb misses out on a surprise
Updated February 19, 2026 – 5:59 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The 1,500 meters is the parade distance for the youngest German athlete at these games. However, Finn Sonnekalb had a mixed day.
The sensation did not materialize, the faint hopes of a podium finish were dashed: speed skater Finn Sonnekalb finished his first Olympic Winter Games without a medal. The 18-year-old whiz kid couldn’t get past 13th place on his special 1500 m course in 1:45.64 minutes on Thursday and, after bumpy preparation, clearly missed out on a surprise coup.
Ning Zhongyan from China secured gold in the high-class middle distance race with an Olympic record of 1:41.98 minutes. Silver went to US sprint star Jordan Stolz (1:42.75), who won his third medal in Milan after gold in the 500 m and 1000 m. The Dutchman Kjeld Nuis (1:42.82), 2018 and 2022 Olympic champion over 1500 m, completed the podium. The other German starters Hendrik Dombek (Munich/1:46.52) and Moritz Klein (Erfurt/1:46.54) took places 19 and 20.