Corinne Stoddard was tired of “choking” at the 2026 Winter Olympics. After struggling, the American speed skater finished eighth in the 3,000m relay and the mixed team relay. In her individual events, she placed 24th in the 1,000m and 31st in the 500m, falling in all three events. It felt like luck was not going Stoddard’s way in Milan. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old persevered, ultimately earning a medal to provide a silver lining to an otherwise disappointing campaign.

Stoddard, who came into the Olympics as the World No.2, was unhappy to say the least.

“I’m not sure what’s been going on,” she wrote in an Instagram post from 5 days ago. “This whole experience has been incredibly unfortunate, and I feel embarrassed by how many times I’ve crashed, especially since I’m not an athlete who’s known for falling often. I also feel embarrassed by how much I’ve choked on the Olympic stage over and over again. This isn’t what I planned to show the world I was capable of.” 

Stoddard apologized to her family and friends and concluded with a hopeful outlook: “I have one last chance on the 20th (1500m), and then my 2026 Olympics will be over.”

Now, she has redeemed herself with an impressive bronze medal in the 1,500m event. Stoddard took the lead early in the race, but Koreans Kim Gil-li and Choi Min-jeong raced past her with two laps remaining. Kim, with a timing of 2:32.076, edged Choi (2:32.450) to grab the gold medal. Stoddard crossed in 2:32.578, just 0.135 seconds faster than JR Yang of China.

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“I think after the 1000m, I basically spent the whole day crying in bed,” Stoddard said after the skate. “I basically came from the depths of hell to get here, and I couldn’t have done it without my team and my staff and my coaches, everyone, just lifting me up and [giving] me the confidence that I could skate the way I know how to after so many terrible races.”

Mental health has been a central topic throughout these Olympics. Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu, and Amber Glenn, among other athletes, have spoken out on the pressure of the big stage. Malinin slipped twice in his free skating event, and Glenn popped her triple loop. 

Stoddard further explained how the comments on her heartfelt Instagram post gave her the confidence to bounce back and win this medal.

“The responses were really amazing and heartfelt,” she said. “It made me feel like I wasn’t a failure and that everyone just wants the best for me and they’re not worried about the results. And so that took a lot of pressure off of me.”

Stoddard received heaps of support, including from her honorary coach.

“Corie 👏🏿don’t apologize for dreamin big,” Snoop Dogg wrote. “That pressure just means you care. ✅💯💯✅👊🏿 you’re not defined by a fall or a tough week 🔊 You’re defined by. Your heart n how you keep showing up!!! One mor race go skate free. How you always do it.”

She also received encouraging comments from fellow speed skaters Greta Myers, Natalia Maliszewska, and Andrew Heo, among others. After the successful race, she also committed to coming back much stronger. 

Corinne Stoddard makes a firm commitment for the 2030 Winter Olympics

Just to add context to her disappointment, the 24-year-old entered her 2nd Olympics on the back of a personal-best World Tour campaign where she collected 8 individual medals (3 silver, 5 bronze). She also lifted the United States to 3 relay medals. This was the first year that she skated to silver twice or more on one World Tour. 

She finishes the Olympics with 1 bronze for Team USA, underperforming to her own expectations. Short track by itself is very unpredictable; one millimetre of change can cause everything to fall apart. However, this bronze medal has given her the confidence to send a firm message regarding her Olympic future.

“I proved to myself today that I can skate with the pressure of the Olympics, and I’ll do it again in 4 years, and I’ll start the Olympics off right in 4 years,” Stoddard said. 

In 2030, Stoddard will still be 28, fit enough to compete for every medal. And this Olympic experience will only make her better. Her career arc was on the way up before the Olympics and could continue further. If this comeback proved anything, it’s that Corinne Stoddard has the resilience to turn setbacks into stepping stones. The road to 2030 now looks like an opportunity rather than an obstacle.