World-record holder Shani Davis has once again decided not to skate on the U.S. team pursuit but he does plan to race all five individual events at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Attempting to compete in all five events will be awfully tough, but even coming close could cement him -- already the world-record holder at 1,000 and 1,500 meters -- as one of the greatest all-around skaters his sport has ever seen. Most skaters specialize in either the sprints, middle or long distances.
His decision is sure to stir debate, however. Shani had said earlier last month that he planned to skate the team pursuit in Vancouver after feuding with other U.S. skaters over his decision to skip the event at the 2006 Games. The U.S. U.S. team surely would be a top medal threat with him in the team pursuit lineup. Without him, they finished sixth at the 2006 Games.
When he won gold in Torino, he became the first Black man to win gold in the Winter Games. Shani Davis grew up to be 6-foot-2 (a disadvantage in a sport where being short is a great advantage) and lean and while the other children in his Chicago neighborhood played basketball he was speeding around ice rinks.
Shani (I wonder where that name came from), decided when he was very young, that if he was going to do a sport, he wanted to be different. He succeeded. He has become the best speedskater in the world in a predominantly White sport.
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