Shani Davis
Encyclopedia
Shani Davis (ˈʃɑːni; born August 13, 1982) is an Olympic Champion speed skater from the United States.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, Italy
, Davis became the first Black athlete (from any nation) to win a gold medal in an individual sport at the Olympic Winter Games (Speedskating, 1000 meters). He also won the silver in the 1,500 m. At the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
, Canada
, he duplicated the feat, becoming the first man to successfully defend the 1,000 m title, and repeating as 1,500 m silver medalist.
Davis won the all-around World Allround Championships
in both 2005 and 2006, after winning the silver medal in 2004. In 2009 he won the World Sprint Championships
in Moscow
, the site of his first World Allround Championship victory. By winning he became the second male skater to have won both the Sprint and Allround in their career, after Eric Heiden
. He has won six World Single Distance Championships
titles, three at 1,500 m (in 2004, 2007 and 2009) and three at 1,000 m (in 2007, 2008 and 2011). He has 45 career individual victories on the ISU Speed Skating World Cup circuit and he has won eight career Overall World Cup titles, four at 1,000 m (in 2006 and 2008–10) and four at 1,500 m (2008–2011).
Davis has set a total of eight world record
s, three of them current (through the 2010-11 season): 1:06.42 in the 1,000 m, 1:41.04 in the 1,500 m, and 145.742 in the allround samalog
. He also sits atop the world Adelskalender
list (since March 2009), which ranks the all-time fastest speed skaters by personal best times in the four World Allround Championship distances. Davis is known for his consistency and technical proficiency. Davis is native to Chicago, Illinois and trains at two U.S. Olympic training facilities, the Pettit National Ice Center
in West Allis, Wisconsin
and the Utah Olympic Oval
in Salt Lake City, Utah
.
dictionary. The English translation is a mixture of "light" and "weight". Davis learned to roller skate at the age of 2. By the time he was 3, he could skate so quickly that he had to be slowed down by the rink's skate guards. Davis's mother worked for a local lawyer and speed skating official whose son was an elite level speed skater. At the lawyer's suggestion, his mother enrolled her son at the Robert Crown Center in nearby Evanston
when he was six years old. Within two months, Davis was winning regional races in his age groups, earning the admiration of his friends and Northbrook rivals alike.
Determined that her son reach his maximum potential, his mother would wake Davis up in the mornings to run a mile on a nearby track to build up his endurance. In order to be closer to his skating club, she and Davis moved from the neighborhood of Hyde Park to Rogers Park.
to participate in a development program for young speed skaters. After training there for a year, Davis decided to pursue his Olympic dreams and moved to Marquette, Michigan
, to further his training. There, he would graduate from Marquette Senior High School
, where he ran track his senior year.
Davis earned spots on both the long track and short track teams at the 1999 junior world championship, simultaneously making the national team. In 2000, he made history by becoming the first U.S. skater to make the long and short track teams at the Junior World Teams, a feat he would accomplish again in 2001 and 2002. His height has always made him unique among short trackers, as most are much shorter, making it easier to race low to the
ice. Shani would go on to win a bronze medal in the Team Relay at the 2005 World Short Track Championships in Beijing, China, shared by U.S. teammates Apolo Ohno, Rusty Smith
, and Alex Izykowski
.
short track team. Teammates Apolo Ohno and Rusty Smith already had slots on the six-man team due to points earned from earlier races, and Ron Biondo was a lock for the third spot. In order for Davis to qualify, he would have to win the final race. As both Ohno and Smith were also participating, Davis would have to beat them both. Since Ohno had been dominant in the meet to this point, winning every race he entered with ease, a win by Davis seemed to be a long shot.
In a major surprise, the 1,000 m race would end with Ohno coming in third, Smith second and Davis at the top of the podium. Davis's first place finish earned him enough points to move past Tommy O'Hare, whom Davis beat earlier in the semi-final, in the final point standings and to qualify for sixth place. Davis became the first African-American skater to earn a spot on the team.
However, the euphoria of the victory was short-lived, as rumors began to swirl that Ohno and Smith, both good friends of Davis's, intentionally threw the race so that Davis would win. After returning to Colorado Springs, O'Hare would file a formal complaint. For three days, Ohno, Smith and Davis stood before an arbitration panel as three of their fellow skaters testified that they heard Ohno telling Smith that he was going to let Davis win.
Ohno would later confess that he had subconsciously held back for fear of suddenly crashing into Davis or Smith, a common occurrence in the sport, pointing out that he did not need to win the race because he already had a spot on the team. Questions persisted that if Ohno had really held back, why did he keep passing Ron Biondo? Some speculated that Ohno was holding off Biondo from challenging Smith, as Smith also needed to finish ahead of Biondo in order to secure a spot in the 1,000 m for Salt Lake. Even this scenario would have been a violation of the rules of team skating. Both claims went unproven in the arbitration case, and all three were absolved of guilt.
On February 13, 2002 Sports Illustrated
writer Brian Cazeneuve published an article stating that, after reviewing the race, "To this day, there is no concrete proof that any skaters violated the spirit of competition." Cazeneuve however, also published the comments of Outdoor Life Network commentator Todd Harris
and 1998 Winter Olympian
speed skater Eric Flaim
, which were made during the broadcast of the race; both men agreed that Ohno and Smith had not skated to the best of their abilities.
Wanting to be able to concentrate on both long track and short track, and living at the time in Marquette, Michigan, a town with no long track, Davis decided to move to Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2003. Once there, he trained with the 1998 short track gold medalist Derrick Campbell
.
, after opening day ceremonies, Davis decided to leave the Games early to compete in the 2002 Junior Country March and Junior World Championships held in Italy, where he won the 1500 m at both competitions. Davis became the only U.S. skater to ever make both short track and long track junior world teams three years in a row.
January 2004 would find him a North American champion for the second consecutive year. Davis would finish in second place overall in the 2004 World Allround Long Track Championships in Hamar
, Norway. In March, Davis won the 1,500 m at the Men's World Single Distance Championships in Seoul
, finishing the race in 1:48.64 in March 2004.
Davis set three world records in 2005 – two of them in Salt Lake City. On January 9, 2005 at the World Championship Qualifier, he broke the 1,500 m world record, recording a time of 1:43.33. He also set the world record for best overall time in the history of the Qualifiers – 149.359. A month later, Davis would win the World Champion all-round
, scoring 150.778 points. In November, Davis would break another world record at the third World Cup
match in the fall of 2005, skating the 1,000 m in 1:07.03. Davis did not participate at the Olympic Trials in Salt Lake City in December 2005 because his performances in the Fall World Cup events had already pre-qualified him for the Olympic Team in the 1,000 m, 1,500 m and 5,000 m events.
On Saturday, February 11, the lineup for Team USA was announced. Hedrick would skate with Clay Mull and Charles Ryan Leveille for the preliminary races, reserving veteran Olympians K.C. Boutiette and Derek Parra for the finals. Within hours, articles denouncing Davis as a poor teammate, unpatriotic and selfish were posted on the Internet, hitting the newspapers the next day leaving Davis having to defend himself and make up excuses for not skating an event he was never eligible to skate in the first place while U.S. Speedskating remained silent. Much of the criticism towards Davis was from Hedrick himself. Two days before the official announcement, Hedrick stated, "I don't see what his logic is. We can't be beat if he skates. It's his decision. I'm not going to get in the middle of it. I would like him to be in the pursuit, but am I going to beg him? No."
Ironically, one of the reasons why Davis said he did not want to skate the pursuit event was so that the two skaters who had not earned spots in any individual event and had been brought to Turin specifically to skate the team pursuit would have a chance to compete—a chance that Davis was denied during the 2002 Games. "It was a difficult decision for me," Davis said. "Athletes came here just for [team] pursuit. I came here just for the 1,000 meters, the 1,500 meters, the 5,000 meters." Since the 2006 Turin controversy, Davis remains estranged from the U.S. Speedskating, refusing both its funding and permission to allow publication of his biography in the organization's media materials.
Davis won the final 1,000 m World Cup event of the 2006 season at Thialf
, Heerenveen
with a time of 1:08.91, becoming the first skater to skate below 1:09 in Heerenveen and also winning the overall World Cup on the 1,000 meters. He placed fourth overall in the 1,500 meters World Cup, despite only competing in three of the five races.
Davis then defended his World Allround Championships
title in Calgary in March 2006 with a world record allround score of 145.742. At the competition, Davis was paired with teammate Chad Hedrick in the 1,500 meter race, and dramatically broke Hedrick's own world record with a time of 1:42.68, which Davis would later rebreak that year with a time of 1:42.32. Regarding his world allround title, Davis said, "To me, this is bigger than the Olympics. This medal is prestigious. Not only do you have to skate 500 meters, but you have to skate 10,000, you have to skate a 1,500 and a 5,000 and you only have two days to do it."
In the 2006–07 season, Shani placed third at the World Sprint Championships held in Hamar in January 2007 and also won world titles in the 1,000 m and 1,500 m events at the World Single Distance Championships held in Salt Lake City in March 2007.
In the 2007–08 season, Shani won overall world cup titles in the 1000 m and 1500 m, defended his 1000 m world title at the World Single Distance Championships held in Nagano, Japan, and tied for second in the 1500 m with Sven Kramer of the Netherlands.
In the 2008–2009 season, Shani defended his world cup titles in the 1000 m and 1500 m, broke world records in the 1000 m and 1500 m, won the 1500 world title at the Word Single Distance Championships held in Vancouver, Canada, placed third in 1000 m, and won the 2009 World Sprint Speed Skating Championship in Moscow, becoming only the second male skater in history to win both the World Allround and World Sprint titles, joining Eric Heiden
.
, Davis competed in 4 long track speed skating events: the 500, 1,000, 1,500 and 5,000 meter races. All four of these events were held at the Richmond Olympic Oval
, where Davis had held the track record in the 1,000 and 1,500 meter races, setting those records in 2009. Davis won the 1,000–meter men's speed skating
event, becoming the first man to win back-to-back 1,000–meter Olympic speed skating gold medals and the only gold medal for speedskating from the United States at these games. Davis won in 1 minute and 8.94 seconds, finishing just 18/100ths of a second quicker than his rival, South Korea
's Mo Tae-Bum
. Davis won a silver medal at the 1,500m distance, being defeated for the gold medal by Mark Tuitert
of the Netherlands
Davis finished 12th in the 5,000 meters and withdrew after a poor first race in the 500 meters.
Frozone, an African-American superhero with ice powers from the animated movie The Incredibles
, was allegedly inspired by Shani Davis. Davis also inspired the creation of DC Inner City Excellence in Washington, DC. He continues to support and encourage youth affiliated with the DC-ICE program.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Davis became the first Black athlete (from any nation) to win a gold medal in an individual sport at the Olympic Winter Games (Speedskating, 1000 meters). He also won the silver in the 1,500 m. At the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, he duplicated the feat, becoming the first man to successfully defend the 1,000 m title, and repeating as 1,500 m silver medalist.
Davis won the all-around World Allround Championships
World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men
The International Skating Union has organised the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1893. Unofficial Championships were held in the years 1889-1892.-History:-Distances used:...
in both 2005 and 2006, after winning the silver medal in 2004. In 2009 he won the World Sprint Championships
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men
The International Skating Union has organised the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1970. The first two years , they were called the ISU Sprint Championships.-Medal winners:-All-time medal count:- References :*...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, the site of his first World Allround Championship victory. By winning he became the second male skater to have won both the Sprint and Allround in their career, after Eric Heiden
Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
. He has won six World Single Distance Championships
World Single Distance Championships
The World Single Distance Championships are a series of speed skating competitions organised by the International Skating Union.-History:Since the late 19th century, speed skating championships were always decided by racing multiple distances – four different distances for the allround...
titles, three at 1,500 m (in 2004, 2007 and 2009) and three at 1,000 m (in 2007, 2008 and 2011). He has 45 career individual victories on the ISU Speed Skating World Cup circuit and he has won eight career Overall World Cup titles, four at 1,000 m (in 2006 and 2008–10) and four at 1,500 m (2008–2011).
Davis has set a total of eight world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
s, three of them current (through the 2010-11 season): 1:06.42 in the 1,000 m, 1:41.04 in the 1,500 m, and 145.742 in the allround samalog
Samalog
Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion...
. He also sits atop the world Adelskalender
Adelskalender
The Adelskalender in skating is a ranking for long track speed skating based on skaters' all-time personal records for certain distances. As in samalog competitions, the skater's time for each distance is divided in 500 metre averages, truncated to 3 decimal places, and the results are then...
list (since March 2009), which ranks the all-time fastest speed skaters by personal best times in the four World Allround Championship distances. Davis is known for his consistency and technical proficiency. Davis is native to Chicago, Illinois and trains at two U.S. Olympic training facilities, the Pettit National Ice Center
Pettit National Ice Center
The Pettit National Ice Center is an indoor ice skating facility in West Allis, Wisconsin featuring two international-size ice rinks and a 400-meter speed skating oval. Located adjacent to Wisconsin State Fair Park, the center opened on December 31, 1992, and was named for Milwaukee philanthropists...
in West Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 61,254 at the 2000 census. Its name derives from Edward P. Allis, who started the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company in the 19th century. The site of the town was...
and the Utah Olympic Oval
Utah Olympic Oval
The Utah Olympic Oval, an indoor speed skating oval built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, is located southwest of Salt Lake City, in Kearns, Utah. The Oval hosted the long track speed skating events for the 2002 games. Inside the facility the 400-meter skating track surrounds two international sized...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
.
Early life
Davis was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Reginald Shuck, picked his son's name (Shani) out of a SwahiliSwahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
dictionary. The English translation is a mixture of "light" and "weight". Davis learned to roller skate at the age of 2. By the time he was 3, he could skate so quickly that he had to be slowed down by the rink's skate guards. Davis's mother worked for a local lawyer and speed skating official whose son was an elite level speed skater. At the lawyer's suggestion, his mother enrolled her son at the Robert Crown Center in nearby Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
when he was six years old. Within two months, Davis was winning regional races in his age groups, earning the admiration of his friends and Northbrook rivals alike.
Determined that her son reach his maximum potential, his mother would wake Davis up in the mornings to run a mile on a nearby track to build up his endurance. In order to be closer to his skating club, she and Davis moved from the neighborhood of Hyde Park to Rogers Park.
Junior level competition
At 16, Davis was invited to Lake Placid, New YorkLake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
to participate in a development program for young speed skaters. After training there for a year, Davis decided to pursue his Olympic dreams and moved to Marquette, Michigan
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
, to further his training. There, he would graduate from Marquette Senior High School
Marquette Senior High School, Marquette, Michigan
Marquette Senior High School is a public high school located in Marquette, Michigan. The high school serves grades 9-12, with current student enrollment around 1396 - approximately 51% male to 49% female.High-school age resident athletes from the U.S...
, where he ran track his senior year.
Davis earned spots on both the long track and short track teams at the 1999 junior world championship, simultaneously making the national team. In 2000, he made history by becoming the first U.S. skater to make the long and short track teams at the Junior World Teams, a feat he would accomplish again in 2001 and 2002. His height has always made him unique among short trackers, as most are much shorter, making it easier to race low to the
ice. Shani would go on to win a bronze medal in the Team Relay at the 2005 World Short Track Championships in Beijing, China, shared by U.S. teammates Apolo Ohno, Rusty Smith
Rusty Smith
Rusty Smith is a short track speed skater from the United States who won bronze in the 500m at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and another bronze in the 5000m relay at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin....
, and Alex Izykowski
Alex Izykowski
Alex "Izzy" Izykowski is an American short track speed skater. He competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics of Turin in the 1500m, and was also part of the bronze medal winning 5000m relay.- External links :**...
.
Olympic qualification controversy
In December 2001, Davis traveled to Utah to race for a spot on the 2002 Winter Olympics2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
short track team. Teammates Apolo Ohno and Rusty Smith already had slots on the six-man team due to points earned from earlier races, and Ron Biondo was a lock for the third spot. In order for Davis to qualify, he would have to win the final race. As both Ohno and Smith were also participating, Davis would have to beat them both. Since Ohno had been dominant in the meet to this point, winning every race he entered with ease, a win by Davis seemed to be a long shot.
In a major surprise, the 1,000 m race would end with Ohno coming in third, Smith second and Davis at the top of the podium. Davis's first place finish earned him enough points to move past Tommy O'Hare, whom Davis beat earlier in the semi-final, in the final point standings and to qualify for sixth place. Davis became the first African-American skater to earn a spot on the team.
However, the euphoria of the victory was short-lived, as rumors began to swirl that Ohno and Smith, both good friends of Davis's, intentionally threw the race so that Davis would win. After returning to Colorado Springs, O'Hare would file a formal complaint. For three days, Ohno, Smith and Davis stood before an arbitration panel as three of their fellow skaters testified that they heard Ohno telling Smith that he was going to let Davis win.
Ohno would later confess that he had subconsciously held back for fear of suddenly crashing into Davis or Smith, a common occurrence in the sport, pointing out that he did not need to win the race because he already had a spot on the team. Questions persisted that if Ohno had really held back, why did he keep passing Ron Biondo? Some speculated that Ohno was holding off Biondo from challenging Smith, as Smith also needed to finish ahead of Biondo in order to secure a spot in the 1,000 m for Salt Lake. Even this scenario would have been a violation of the rules of team skating. Both claims went unproven in the arbitration case, and all three were absolved of guilt.
On February 13, 2002 Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
writer Brian Cazeneuve published an article stating that, after reviewing the race, "To this day, there is no concrete proof that any skaters violated the spirit of competition." Cazeneuve however, also published the comments of Outdoor Life Network commentator Todd Harris
Todd Harris
Todd Harris is a play-by-play announcer for ESPNU college football coverage and Ultimate Fighting Championship airing on Versus.Prior to those duties, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC and ESPN's coverage of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series...
and 1998 Winter Olympian
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
speed skater Eric Flaim
Eric Flaim
Eric Joseph Flaim is a former US speed skater.-Biography:Eric Flaim began skating at the age of 5 on the tiny pond next to his home on Fairwood Drive, Pembroke...
, which were made during the broadcast of the race; both men agreed that Ohno and Smith had not skated to the best of their abilities.
Wanting to be able to concentrate on both long track and short track, and living at the time in Marquette, Michigan, a town with no long track, Davis decided to move to Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2003. Once there, he trained with the 1998 short track gold medalist Derrick Campbell
Derrick Campbell
Derrick Nathan Campbell is a Canadian short track speed skater who competed in the 1994 Winter Olympics and in the 1998 Winter Olympics.He was born in Cambridge, Ontario....
.
A dream deferred
Upon arriving in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, after opening day ceremonies, Davis decided to leave the Games early to compete in the 2002 Junior Country March and Junior World Championships held in Italy, where he won the 1500 m at both competitions. Davis became the only U.S. skater to ever make both short track and long track junior world teams three years in a row.
Turning pro
Davis made the jump from junior competition to men's speed skating in 2003. He became the North American long track champion in February 2003, qualifying him for the World Championship in Göteborg. Not yet adjusted to skating in the men's division, Davis's scores were much lower than usual, and Davis finished 16th overall.January 2004 would find him a North American champion for the second consecutive year. Davis would finish in second place overall in the 2004 World Allround Long Track Championships in Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
, Norway. In March, Davis won the 1,500 m at the Men's World Single Distance Championships in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, finishing the race in 1:48.64 in March 2004.
Davis set three world records in 2005 – two of them in Salt Lake City. On January 9, 2005 at the World Championship Qualifier, he broke the 1,500 m world record, recording a time of 1:43.33. He also set the world record for best overall time in the history of the Qualifiers – 149.359. A month later, Davis would win the World Champion all-round
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
, scoring 150.778 points. In November, Davis would break another world record at the third World Cup
Speed Skating World Cup
The Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions, organised yearly by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1985–86. Every year during the winter, a number of competitions on a number of different distances are held...
match in the fall of 2005, skating the 1,000 m in 1:07.03. Davis did not participate at the Olympic Trials in Salt Lake City in December 2005 because his performances in the Fall World Cup events had already pre-qualified him for the Olympic Team in the 1,000 m, 1,500 m and 5,000 m events.
2006 Winter Olympic Games
Shani Davis won the gold medal in the 1000 m and the silver medal in the 1500 m in Turin.Turin and the team pursuit controversy
Since the team pursuit event's inception at the senior level in the 2004–05 season, Davis had never practiced or participated in the event and U.S. Speedskating never expressed an interest in Davis skating the team pursuit event. In April 2005, U.S. Speedskating voted that it could appoint skaters to the Olympic Pursuit Team who had not otherwise made the team in an individual event. Having never skated the pursuit event, Davis submitted his declaration to U.S. Speed skating informing them of his intention to skate the 1,000 m, 1,500 m, and 5,000 m. On December 31, 2005, U.S. Speed skating named the maximum allotted 5 member team (K.C. Boutiette, Chad Hedrick, Charles Ryan Leveille, Clay Mull and Derek Parra). However, upon arriving in Turin, without Davis' knowledge or consent, the U.S. coaches named Davis as a substitute to the pursuit team. In case of an injury after the team had entered the competition track, substitution would be permitted if an International Skating Union (ISU) Withdrawal Form had been presented to and accepted by the Referee. There were no such injuries which meant that Davis was not even eligible to skate the team pursuit event at the Olympics.On Saturday, February 11, the lineup for Team USA was announced. Hedrick would skate with Clay Mull and Charles Ryan Leveille for the preliminary races, reserving veteran Olympians K.C. Boutiette and Derek Parra for the finals. Within hours, articles denouncing Davis as a poor teammate, unpatriotic and selfish were posted on the Internet, hitting the newspapers the next day leaving Davis having to defend himself and make up excuses for not skating an event he was never eligible to skate in the first place while U.S. Speedskating remained silent. Much of the criticism towards Davis was from Hedrick himself. Two days before the official announcement, Hedrick stated, "I don't see what his logic is. We can't be beat if he skates. It's his decision. I'm not going to get in the middle of it. I would like him to be in the pursuit, but am I going to beg him? No."
Ironically, one of the reasons why Davis said he did not want to skate the pursuit event was so that the two skaters who had not earned spots in any individual event and had been brought to Turin specifically to skate the team pursuit would have a chance to compete—a chance that Davis was denied during the 2002 Games. "It was a difficult decision for me," Davis said. "Athletes came here just for [team] pursuit. I came here just for the 1,000 meters, the 1,500 meters, the 5,000 meters." Since the 2006 Turin controversy, Davis remains estranged from the U.S. Speedskating, refusing both its funding and permission to allow publication of his biography in the organization's media materials.
Post-Olympic performance
Thialf
Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. The stadium is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, and non-sports events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records were set in the...
, Heerenveen
Heerenveen
Heerenveen is a town in the Heerenveen municipality of the province of Friesland , in the north of the Netherlands.- History :The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging peat which was used for fuel, hence the name...
with a time of 1:08.91, becoming the first skater to skate below 1:09 in Heerenveen and also winning the overall World Cup on the 1,000 meters. He placed fourth overall in the 1,500 meters World Cup, despite only competing in three of the five races.
Davis then defended his World Allround Championships
World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men
The International Skating Union has organised the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1893. Unofficial Championships were held in the years 1889-1892.-History:-Distances used:...
title in Calgary in March 2006 with a world record allround score of 145.742. At the competition, Davis was paired with teammate Chad Hedrick in the 1,500 meter race, and dramatically broke Hedrick's own world record with a time of 1:42.68, which Davis would later rebreak that year with a time of 1:42.32. Regarding his world allround title, Davis said, "To me, this is bigger than the Olympics. This medal is prestigious. Not only do you have to skate 500 meters, but you have to skate 10,000, you have to skate a 1,500 and a 5,000 and you only have two days to do it."
In the 2006–07 season, Shani placed third at the World Sprint Championships held in Hamar in January 2007 and also won world titles in the 1,000 m and 1,500 m events at the World Single Distance Championships held in Salt Lake City in March 2007.
In the 2007–08 season, Shani won overall world cup titles in the 1000 m and 1500 m, defended his 1000 m world title at the World Single Distance Championships held in Nagano, Japan, and tied for second in the 1500 m with Sven Kramer of the Netherlands.
In the 2008–2009 season, Shani defended his world cup titles in the 1000 m and 1500 m, broke world records in the 1000 m and 1500 m, won the 1500 world title at the Word Single Distance Championships held in Vancouver, Canada, placed third in 1000 m, and won the 2009 World Sprint Speed Skating Championship in Moscow, becoming only the second male skater in history to win both the World Allround and World Sprint titles, joining Eric Heiden
Eric Heiden
Eric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
.
2010 Winter Olympics
During the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Davis competed in 4 long track speed skating events: the 500, 1,000, 1,500 and 5,000 meter races. All four of these events were held at the Richmond Olympic Oval
Richmond Olympic Oval
The Richmond Olympic Oval , or the Richmond Oval is a facility in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was the venue of the speed skating events and the official Olympic anti-doping lab of the 2010 Winter Olympics...
, where Davis had held the track record in the 1,000 and 1,500 meter races, setting those records in 2009. Davis won the 1,000–meter men's speed skating
Speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's 1000 metres
The men's 1000 metres speed skating competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Richmond Olympic Oval on February 17, 2010.-Records:Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows....
event, becoming the first man to win back-to-back 1,000–meter Olympic speed skating gold medals and the only gold medal for speedskating from the United States at these games. Davis won in 1 minute and 8.94 seconds, finishing just 18/100ths of a second quicker than his rival, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's Mo Tae-Bum
Mo Tae-Bum
Mo Tae-Bum is a South Korean speed skater. He started speedskating while in the third grade. Prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mo won two distances at the 2006 World Junior Speed Skating Championships...
. Davis won a silver medal at the 1,500m distance, being defeated for the gold medal by Mark Tuitert
Mark Tuitert
Mark Tuitert ; born April 4, 1980 in Holten, Overijssel) is a Dutch speed skater. He won gold at the 1500m sprint at the 2010 Winter Olympics.-Personal life:Tuitert married fellow Dutch speed skater Helen van Goozen in 2009...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Davis finished 12th in the 5,000 meters and withdrew after a poor first race in the 500 meters.
Personal records
| Distance | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 34.78 | |
| 1000 m | 1:06.42 | Current world record |
| 1500 m | 1:41.04 | Current world record |
| 5000 m | 6:10.49 | |
| 10000 m | 13:05.94 | |
| samalog Samalog Samalog is a scoring system in speed skating. It is used in allround tournaments to convert results at various distances into points in order to determine an overall champion... |
145.742 | Current world record |
Personal life
Davis has trained at the Olympic speedskating center in Marquette, Michigan where as of February 2010 he also was attending classes at Northern Michigan University.Frozone, an African-American superhero with ice powers from the animated movie The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
, was allegedly inspired by Shani Davis. Davis also inspired the creation of DC Inner City Excellence in Washington, DC. He continues to support and encourage youth affiliated with the DC-ICE program.
External links
- ISU profile
- shanidavis.org Official Shani Davis website
- Shani Davis' U.S. Olympic Team bio
- TheLoop21.com's interview with Shani Davis
- Shani Davis at SkateResults.com
- Photos of Shani Davis
- SpeedskatingBase.eu with link to the results of Shani Davis
- AP Winter Games Profile: Shani Davis