Gold and Bronze for the Men's 1000m
February 17, 2010—Richmond, British Columbia
For the first time ever, a U.S. speedskater has won back-to-back gold medals in the Men’s 1000m. Gold medalist Shani Davis (Chicago, IL) defended his title at the Richmond Olympic Oval against some tough competitors.
“If you want it you have to fight for it and earn it. I’m very proud,” Davis said. “The only pressure on me is the pressure I allow to be put on me. This one meant so much. Once you become a world or Olympic champion you have this nice thing on your back: it’s called a target. I’m so proud to be able to defend my gold medal.”
U.S. Olympic Coach Ryan Shimabukuro, who works with Davis on occasion, said, “To repeat as an Olympic champ is not easy. To do it on a world stage…he should be recognized.”
Teammate and Olympic medalist Chad Hedrick (Spring, TX) battled the 500m Olympic champion Tae-Bum Mo (KOR) in his pair, ending with a second place time that held through the end of the race.
“Nobody expected me to leave here with a medal, except me,” Hedrick said. “I put the pressure on myself. My experience with the Olympics made me calmer. I didn’t come here to finish sixth place. I didn’t wake up wanting sixth. I wanted to win.”
With Nick Pearson (West Allis, WI) finishing 7th and Trevor Marsicano (Ballston Spa, NY) in 10th place, four U.S. skaters ended in the top 10 of the event. “I’m happy with my race,” Pearson said. “Our team is awesome. I’ve said it before--if you make the U.S. Team you have a good chance of being on the podium. This is what we expected.”
Racing continues tomorrow with the Ladies 1000m at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Elli Ochowicz, Jen Rodriguez, Heather Richardson and Rebekah Bradford will represent the U.S.