US speedskating medal hopes hinge on Shani Davis
Matt Dunham/APSOCHI, Russia - Through the first two days of men's Olympic speedskating, the medal podium has been more orange than a Tropicana plant. The Dutch swept the 5000 meters on Saturday. They swept the top three spots again in the 500 meters on Monday, courtesy of Michel Mulder, Jan Smeekens and Ronald Mulder, who clocked 69.312, 69.324 and 69.46, respectively, in their two races. (This in an event in which the Dutch are not traditionally strong - and hadn't medaled in since 1988.)
So now it is up to Shani Davis, out of the south side of Chicago, to put an end to the orange onslaught, and protect his hard-won domain. Davis, 31 - the leading man of U.S. speedskating with the retirement of short-track icon Apolo Anton Oho - won the gold medal at 1000 meters in Torino in 2006, and defended his title in Vancouver four years later. He is a four-time Olympic medalist overall. He is seeking to become the first U.S. male Olympian to capture the same event three straight times.
'If I skate well enough, obviously more than happy to take the title,' Davis said. 'But it's a big challenge.'
The 6-2, 190-pound Davis placed 24th in the 500, with a two-run time of 70.98, just ahead of U.S. teammates Tucker Fredericks (26th, 70.999) and Mitchell Whitmore (27th, 71.06), but he is the world record-holder at both the 1000 and 1500 meters, so the prime medal chances are still ahead. His principal rivals in the 1000 are Michel Mulder and Denis Kuzin of Kazakhstan.
'The 1000 is going to be an intense competition. We'll see what happens,' Davis said.
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