Turin – What a contrast it was: Chris Witty gliding slowly along the ice, hands on her knees, huffing and puffing as the scoreboard flashed up a time that was nearly five seconds slower than the greatest race of her life.
Not exactly the way she wanted to go out.
In what may have been the final Olympic race for one of America’s most acclaimed speedskaters, Witty chugged around the oval for 2 1/2 excruciating laps Sunday, looking as though she might have forgotten to sharpen her blades, or maybe tucked a few rocks inside that skintight suit.
Before she ever stepped on the ice, Witty knew it wasn’t going to be her day. The mind was willing, but the 30-year-old body just wouldn’t go along.
“I went out there and put out my best effort,” she said, managing a weak smile that did little to mask the sad look in her eyes. “That’s all you can ever hope for.”
Her best wasn’t nearly good enough in the 1,000 meters.
Witty managed a time of 1 minutes, 18.70 seconds, leaving her more than 2 1/2 seconds behind gold medalist Marianne Timmer of the Netherlands and 27th among the 35 skaters who finished. That was a bit of an improvement on the 500; Witty put up the worst time of anyone who made it through the race without falling or getting disqualified.
“We were hoping for a miracle, but we knew she wasn’t skating so well,” said Bart Schouten, her coach. “It’s not what this girl can do.”
Four years ago at Salt Lake City, Witty was on top of the world – winning the 1,000 in her home country, with a time that still stands as a world record.
