American speedskater Jordan Stolz saw his bid for four gold medals at the Milan Cortina Olympics come to an end Thursday with a silver in the 1,500 meters. China's Ning Zhongyan claimed victory in an Olympic-record time of 1 minute, 41.98 seconds, leaving Stolz 0.77 seconds behind in the final heat.

Stolz, the 21-year-old from Wisconsin, had already secured gold medals in the 500 and 1,000 meters earlier in the Games. The silver adds to his collection but falls short of the historic four-gold achievement. Only two speedskaters have accomplished this feat at a single Olympics: Eric Heiden with five golds in 1980 and Lidiya Skoblikova with four in 1964.

Despite the disappointment, Stolz's performance remains remarkable. He still has one race remaining - the mass start on Saturday. His dominance in recent years made him the favorite in most events, with Canadian skater Laurent Dubreuil calling him "the greatest speedskater of all time." While Stolz won't match Heiden's Lake Placid record, his three medals already place him among the sport's elite Olympians.