BEIJING — Every time he has been asked recently about his goal for the Olympics, Jordan Stolz, a 17-year-old American speedskater, has given a similar answer.
He is aiming for the top five in the 1,000 meters, and then hoping. “Anything could happen with somebody messing up their race, and I could get bumped up to the podium,” he said after winning the 1,000 at the Olympic trials in Milwaukee last month.
Privately, however, he is calculating a different path to the podium, one that, if successful, would help redeem what so far has been a disappointing Olympics for American speedskaters.