On the afternoon of February 14 local time, the men's 500m speed skating event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games was held. The defending champion, China's Gao Tingyu, finished seventh with a time of 34.47 seconds. It was Gao's third Olympic appearance; four years ago at the Beijing Games he made history by winning China's first-ever Olympic gold in men's speed skating in this event. Two other Chinese skaters, Xue Zhiwen and Lian Ziwen, finished 11th and 14th, respectively. American skater Jordan Stolz won the gold, setting a new Olympic record of 33.77 seconds. Photos: Chen Tao/GT