Jack & Jill Politics

hat tip – W.E.E. See You

Gold medallist Shani Davis of the U.S. holds his bouquet during the flower ceremony after the men’s 1000 metres speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 17, 2010.
——REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Shani Davis wins gold in men’s 1,000 speedskating
02/18/2010 12:11 AM ET By PAUL NEWBERRY (AP)
RICHMOND, British Columbia -The color of the medal mattered, not the color of his skin.

All Shani Davis was thinking about was gold.

With a furious kick on the final lap Wednesday, Davis stuck his skate across the line and won his second straight Olympic title in 1,000-meter speedskating, the first skater to win this event twice at the Winter Games.

“That race depleted me 100 percent,” he said. “I never want to leave anything on the track.”

[…]

When he won this race four years ago, Davis became the first African-American athlete to win an individual gold at the Winter Games. This time, he simply wanted to be known for his skating.

“When you’re a world champion or an Olympic champion, you get this little thing on your back called a target,” Davis said. “To go out there and win the 1,000 meters twice is truly amazing.”

[Photos and video after the jump]

Gold medallist Shani Davis of the U.S. holds up his bouquet and his country’s flag during the flower ceremony after the men’s 1000 metres speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 17, 2010. ——-REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Gold medallist Shani Davis of the U.S. stands on the podium (C) with compatriot bronze medallist Chad Hedrick (2nd R) and silver medallist South Korea’s Mo Tae-Bum during the flower ceremony after the men’s 1000 metres speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 17, 2010.
——REUTERS/Andy Clark

Gold medallist Shani Davis of the U.S. and compatriot bronze medallist Chad Hedrick hold up their country’s flag during the flower ceremony after the men’s 1000 metres speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 17, 2010.
——-REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Gold medallist Shani Davis (R) of the U.S. holds his country’s flag as silver medallist South Korea’s Mo Tae-Bum holds his bouquet at the flower ceremony after the men’s 1000 metres speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 17, 2010.
——REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

Shani Davis of the U.S. races to win the gold medal in the men’s 1000 metres speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 17, 2010.
————-REUTERS/Dylan Martinez