Turin – Nothing between them was solved on the ice.
Not when a hasty Italian, Enrico Fabris, busted into their feud Tuesday and bagged gold in long track’s glamour distance, the 1,500 meters. As a new national hero beamed at his countrymen in the stands, Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick were left sharing the lower steps of the podium – silver and bronze – neither thrilled to be there, both avoiding eye contact.
So they took things to a room away from the ice at Oval Lingotto, where they sat at opposite ends of a table and talked publicly about their relationship – a bizarre therapy session in front of TV cameras and sportswriters.
At first, the chatter was drenched in muted respect, each nodding at the other’s supreme talent. Hedrick, a 2006 gold medalist in the 5,000 meters, holds the world record in the 1,500. He took the record from Davis, who also has snatched Turin gold, beating Hedrick in the 1,000 meters. Subtle digs were made, honest differences aired, and laughs were had. They are not “Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal,” Davis said. “It’s not like we’re going to fight each other and roll around in the snow.” It was tense but civil.
Then Michael Jordan’s name came up. Truce over.
“There’s nothing to kiss and hug about,” Hedrick began, explaining the chilliness between them was a just byproduct of two men hungry to win. This tiff was good for speedskating, and good for them. This was emotional fuel that both could tap to race even faster. “Michael Jordan doesn’t go onto the court unless he’s confident to win.”
“Speaking of Michael Jordan,” said Davis, a Bulls fan from Chicago, “I’ve never see him act in an unprofessional manner when it comes to losing. … It would have been nice if after the 1,000, he (Hedrick) could have been a good teammate and shaken my hand, like I had hugged him after he won the 5,000.”
With that, Davis stood and walked out a side door, leaving Hedrick alone with a microphone and room of reporters. Hedrick immediately recalled the day last week when Davis committed, in his mind, a sin against the U.S. squad, choosing to skip the team pursuit race to rest his legs for the 1,000, an individual event. Hedrick and the United States finished the team pursuit out of the medals.
“We had a great opportunity to win the team pursuit race. And I felt betrayed,” Hedrick said. “He didn’t discuss it with me. As a team leader, I thought we passed up a medal. I felt betrayed.”
The 1,500 meters – which Hedrick and Davis skated in back-to-back heats – instantly became a back story to the skate-blade drama. For the sports record, Davis said he lost his mental edge in the final 250 meters and it cost him a step. Hedrick said three previous races left him with heavy feet Tuesday, “dull and a little clumsy.” And the Italian? He complimented Davis and Hed- rick – “the two best skaters in the world” – then donned an orange crown, a gift from friends back in Asiago, his hometown.
“Today, without any arrogance, I’m the king of Italy,” Fabris said.
Said Hedrick: “It’s unfortunate for both (Shani and myself). We felt like we gave one away today. … . We both wanted to prove to each other who was going to win, and somebody else slid in there.”
But if their rivalry was – as they have long maintained – a speedskating squabble, just two men scrapping for first place each time they share the ice, it turned personal Tuesday. The back and forth was often subtle but mesmerizing.
Hedrick mentioned doing some Hollywood acting after the Olympics end. Davis later said he “wasn’t a phony personality; I’ll never be a Hollywood actor.”
Hedrick, once a threat for five gold medals, said he came to Turin to win, not to wear bronze, because “second, fourth, eighth, 10th, it’s all the same to me.” Davis blamed Hedrick’s sour mood on his lone gold: “What happens when you fall short of your goal? People handle it differently.”
“I’m really glad we weren’t in the same pair today,” Hedrick said with a laugh. “Because we would have been trying to kill each other.”
