Shani Davis: 1000m Gold

Shani Davis made history at Vancouver.

Shani, a Chicago native, lives in Milwaukee and trains in Wisconsin at the Pettit Ice Center.

From the New York Times:

Of the 38 long-track speedskaters entered in the men’s 1,000 meters on Wednesday night, Shani Davis of the United States was one of only two who raced without eyewear, the unadorned look befitting his spare style.

It proved a boon to the 7,000 fans at the Richmond Olympic Oval, offering them an unobstructed view of the joy on Davis’s face when he crossed the finish line and realized he had become the first man to successfully defend his Olympic title in the event.

Skating in the last pair, Davis was timed in 1 minute 8.94 seconds to edge Mo Tae-bum of South Korea and his countryman Chad Hedrick, who took the bronze in a mild upset.

Davis and Mo skated a victory lap side by side, and while the applause eventually faded, Davis’s smile never did. For Davis, the victory validated the controversial decision he made Monday evening to withdraw from the 500 meters midway through the two-race event.

At the time, he said he wanted to conserve his energy, and indeed, he needed every last oomph to beat the pace set by Mo, who skated with Hedrick in the 16th pairing.

...Hedrick, whose sniping with Davis became a big story line of the 2006 Olympics, was among the first to congratulate him after the race. On the victory podium, they clasped arms, united in their joy.

Congratulations, Shani and Chad!