China's speed-skating star Ning Zhongyan backed up his world elite status at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday by winning his career-first Olympic gold medal in the 1,500m with a new Games record time of one minute and 41.98 seconds.

It was Ning's third medal of the Games after he won two bronze medals, in the 1,000m and the men's team pursuit, and it was the Chinese delegation's first gold of this Winter Olympics in an ice sport.

Racing in pair 13 alongside legendary Netherlands skater Nuis Kjeld, Ning got off to a flying start and pushed hard with each stroke while gliding through the curves smoothly to complete the 1,500m in a staggeringly fast new Olympic record time.

The event's hot favorite, Jordan Stolz of the United States, raced in the final pair but could not improve on the time, clocking 1:42.75 in silver medal position, ahead of Kjeld, who took bronze with a time of 1:42.82.

Ning's 1,500m gold was the Chinese men's speed-skating team's second Olympic title of all time, after Gao Tingyu won the 500m on home ice at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.