Max Klau: Black History Month: Honoring The Collective…
BlackVoices History Quest: Los Angeles
Shani Davis made history Wednesday night becoming the first man to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 1,000 meter speed skating competition.
Davis' stirring performance couldn't have been more dramatic as he headlined the final pairing of the race and needed to beat the time of 1:09:13 posted by the gold medalist in the 500-meter competition Mo Tae-Bum of Korea.
Davis, a Chicago native, didn't disappoint. With long fluid strides, Davis powered through the final part of his heat to finish in 1:08:94 and add another gold medal to the one he won in Turin Italy four years ago.
The significance of last night's performance was best told in the cheering black and brown faces of the youth gathered at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington D.C. and shown briefly on the international NBC broadcast after the race.
Davis, 27, has adopted the inner city ice rink and has worked with the young skaters there.
While Davis was the favorite to win the race, his victory was far from assured.
Davis dropped out of the 500 meter competition earlier this week after a poor performance in an early heat of the race. Davis also boycotted the print media in the days leading up to Wednesday evening's race.
Throughout his career, Davis has earned equal parts admiration for his skating skills and condemnation from the skating establishment for what has been termed a selfish attitude and haughty demeanor by his critics.
Love him or hate him there is a title Davis will now wear that is beyond dispute - two-time gold medal winner.
Comments: (3)
Add a comment
By: hwill2000 on 2/17/2010 10:24PM
WTG Shani!!!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: MightyMS on 2/20/2010 12:33PM
Paul Shephard your reporting is misleading and sensational. Why do you insist on disparaging, misrepresenting and detracting from Shani Davis' accomplishments. To the contrary, Davis is respected and admired throughout the world because he is the best in the world and considered to have the most efficient technical form in his sport. And you marginalize his achievement by stating he's admired for his skating skills. No, he is revered, and well-liked. He is sought out by the elite in his sport, and loved by fans worldwide. Especially, in countries where the sport has a national identity. You obviously have not researched this topic and know nothing about speed skating. Davis was never in jeopardy of missing out on a medal in the 1000m --his specialty-- he is the current world record holder in both the 1000m and 1500m, and was favored to win both events going into the 2010 Olympics. He was never favored to medal in the 500m; he withdrew to focus on the 1000 and 1500 meter events --for no other reason-- Stop contriving the facts and do some research. You keep rehashing, this sad, tired story from 2006, that has long been quashed. And for the record, Davis' coach defended him and stated that it was not Davis' fault. It was a total debacle all around, from the US Speed Skating Federation's handling of the matter, to the unfounded, negative reaction of a teammate. Do you think we just shovle this garbage down our throats without verifying the facts, well I don't. As for the ongoing feud with Stephen Colbert, that's a crock-of-bull. Stephen Colbert is a social/political satirist; his humor could easily be misconstrued. It was a simple misunderstanding that had been resolved before your reported about it. In fact, Colbert and Davis had a mock speed skating race at the PC in Vancouver. The next time you put your fingers on your keyboard, and before you publish this unsubstantiated crap, you need to do your research. Because I'm not buying just anything you write. Yeah, he quieted you, the main critic and purveyor of misinformation.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: hfychd on 3/27/2010 9:30AM
(2010 new fashion brand shoes)
N I K E Shoes($35): http://www.vipshops.org
H a n d b a g ($35): http://www.vipshops.org
U G G($80) N F L ($35): http://www.vipshops.org
%&#% dghjdr dfjdrt drtjsr rfth r
Reply to this Comment | Report This