The 1000-meter sprint was Shani Davis’ event. He won gold medals in the event in 2006 and 2010. His world record time of 1:06.42, set in 2009, still stands.
But it’s been nearly a decade since Davis, one of America’s greatest speedskaters ever, turned in those record-setting performances - and it turned out, the 35-year-old Chicagoan didn't manage to find one last magical performance at the Pyeongchang Games.
The race was won by Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands, the gold medalist in the 1,500 meters last week and the 2017 world champion over 1,000 meters. He was followed by Norway’s Havard Lorentzen, who won gold in the 500 meters, and South Korea’s Kim Tae-Yun.
Davis finished seventh, .83 seconds slower than Nuis. And he wasn’t the fastest American in the race, either. Joey Mantia, who edged out Davis in the Olympic qualifying race in January, just missed out on the podium, coming in fourth place.
Davis, a four-time Olympic medalist, sought redemption after a disappointing performance in Sochi, but will leave Pyeongchang once again without any medals.
Nevertheless, his legacy on the ice is secure.
The first African-American to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics. The only skater to claim back-to-back titles in the 1,000 meters. World records, world championships, World Cup titles — he's pretty much done it all.
But whether Davis just skated in his fifth and final Olympics remains to be seen.
