Heiden won every men's speedskating event at the 1980 Winter Olympics --- five gold medals in five distances ranging from 500 meters to 10,000 meters.

Hedrick lived up to his promise Saturday at the U.S. Long Track Speedskating Championship by breaking the world record in the 10,000 meters, an event in which he'd already qualified for the Olympics.

The race Hedrick hadn't banked on skating at the Olympics was the 1,000, which isn't considered one of his specialties, even though his times have consistently dropped. Hedrick's personal best of 1:08.23 Saturday edged Nick Pearson, a 2002 Olympian, for second place and an Olympic berth.

Three hours later, he clocked 12 minutes, 55.11 seconds in the 10K, easily eclipsing the previous mark of 12:57.92 set by Carl Verheijen of the Netherlands. Charles Ryan Leveille of Cumming was second in 13:54.65 but did not qualify in the event.

After becoming the first skater to go under 29 seconds on the 25th and final lap, Hedrick slapped hands with spectators as he circled the rink. The kids playing soccer in the infield at the Utah Olympic Oval, however, didn't realize history had just been made.

Hedrick, who was inspired by Derek Parra's Salt Lake City Olympics victory to switch from a pro inline skating career to speedskating, will also skate the 1,500 meters --- in which he's the world record holder --- the 5,000 and the new team pursuit race.

"And then I'm doing figure skating on the side as well," Hedrick quipped. "Watch out, Brian Boitano."

With two spots on the 10-man team still up for grabs, Leveille, 22, remains in the mix for the team pursuit event. Three men skate each round and up to five can be named to the team. Leveille was an inline and short track speedskater before switching to long track earlier this year.

Hedrick said he talks often with Heiden, an orthopedist who is now the team physician.

"I think we have a lot in common in the heart," said Hedrick, "and he's a fighter just like me. You don't win five gold medals at the Olympics by not having the biggest heart out there."

However, Hedrick said he needs to improve his start significantly to contend in the 1,000, which has race specialists who lift weights and practice their starts while he goes out and skates up to 100 laps (about 25 miles). He said he's practiced his start only 15 or 20 times this season. As Hedrick approaches the Olympics, he said if he doesn't think he can win the 1,000, he may not skate it.

"I'm the type of guy who doesn't want to go up there and try to get a bronze medal," Hedrick said. "It might sound horrible, but I consider it a waste of my time if I'm not able to go there and have a chance to win."

Shani Davis of Chicago also has a chance to skate five events at the Olympics, but must qualify for the 10,000 based on his finish at the Games in the 5,000. Davis, the world record holder in the 1,000, opted not to compete here even though the dates of the championships were moved to accommodate his unsuccessful bid for the short track Olympic team.

Davis, who was a 2002 short track Olympian, pre-qualified in the 1,000, 1,500 and 5,000 and could skate in the team pursuit event. He decided his time was better spent training in Calgary.

"He wanted to take a break and recharge his batteries and mentally get prepared for the Olympic Games," said Davis' coach, Bob Fenn.

Fenn had hoped Davis would attempt to qualify in the 500 meters, "but he chose not to," he said. "That's his call."

The United States won a record 11 speedskating medals in Salt Lake City --- eight long track and three short track --- and this is considered its strongest team ever.

Parra, who won gold in the 1,500 and silver in the 5,000; Casey FitzRandolph, gold medalist in the 500; Joey Cheek, bronze medalist in the 500; and Kip Carpenter, bronze medalist in the 1,000, return on the men's side. Chris Witty, gold medalist in the 1,000, and Jennifer Rodriguez, bronze medalist in the 1,000 and 1,500, pace the women's team.

"Eric Heiden was probably the strongest individual with his five gold medals in 1980," said Bart Schouten, who coaches Hedrick, Parra and Witty, "but team-wise, I think we're stronger than ever. We have the same people who are doing about as well as they have in the past --- those six guys and girls from 2002 --- and now you add Shani and Chad. We're probably almost twice as strong medal count-wise."

Witty, who made her fourth Winter Olympics team, won in 2002 despite mononucleosis.

"Well, I've been trying to catch mono," she said. "I don't know if that's going to work this time around. But if it's not mono, I'll sure there'll be something. It's never easy."

Elli Ochowicz, daughter of three-time Olympic medalist Sheila Young Ochowicz, said she's more prepared for her second Olympics.

"The last games were sort of testing the waters," said Ochowicz, who qualified in the 500 and 1,000, "and now I'm ready to throw down the hammer."

Copyright © 2004 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions