Cold War Boils Over

There is no denying that the American speedskaters have become a highlight of these Winter Olympics. No one has topped them for drama, passion and killer instinct.

They’ve been pretty good in their races too.

But as the U.S. team’s biggest stars, Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick, proved again Tuesday night, what happens in competition pales in comparison to the spectacle unfolding off the ice.

Davis and Hedrick went at each other at a news conference after winning medals in the men’s 1,500 meters at Oval Lingotto, warming up with subtle barbs, then graduating into full-blown accusations of poor sportsmanship and betrayal, Davis abruptly walking away as Hedrick muttered, “Just like Shani.”

Their escalating feud has been almost enough to make people forget that the teammates rank atop their sport and have won four medals -- including a gold apiece -- at these Games.

Certainly it stole some luster from a race that, amid the gibes and snipes, neither skater managed to win.

Though they entered as co-favorites, holders of the two fastest times in the world at 1,500 meters, the honors went to Enrico Fabris of Italy, who started slow and built momentum, posting a blazing time over the final laps to finish in 1 minute 45.97 seconds.

Then came several anxious minutes, watching as Davis and Hedrick fell short in the last two pairings.

“It was a long wait for me,” Fabris said. “I have no words to describe the emotion.”

If the Italian had trouble expressing himself afterward, still glowing from the cheers of the home crowd, Davis and Hedrick -- second and third, respectively -- soon filled the gap.

Hedrick viewed the result in relation to their rivalry, saying, “I think we wanted to beat each other so badly that we weren’t worried about the other people out there.”

Davis responded with a different take.

“I don’t agree with Chad, because he’s speaking from his own views,” Davis said. “I knew the times I had to beat. ... I just wasn’t strong enough when I needed to be.”

Fabris was spared having to listen. He had arrived at the interview room early, answered a few questions and left, as if cognizant of what might come next.

This was not the first time Davis and Hedrick had butted heads. Perhaps their mutual dislike was born of competition -- they have taken turns out-racing each other -- or perhaps it is a function of personality.

An outspoken Texan, Hedrick is confident to the point of brash and appears to crave attention. Davis is from Chicago and quieter. He can be pleasant with reporters, answering questions thoughtfully, but clearly fidgets in the spotlight.

These differences have boiled over in the caldron that is the Olympics.

Hedrick arrived in Italy with a chance at five gold medals, quickly winning the 5,000 meters. Next came the team pursuit, an event in which three teammates skate together as a unit.

The U.S. figured to be a contender until Davis decided to skip the event in favor of resting for his individual races. The Americans lost in the quarterfinals, and Hedrick mused about what might have been.

A few days later, after losing to Davis in the 1,000 meters, Hedrick made a point of not congratulating him.

At least in that race, Hedrick finished sixth and could walk away. In the 1,500, he and Davis shared the podium, then sat beside each other -- albeit at separate ends of a long table -- for the medalists’ news conference.

At first, Davis denied any strain between them, saying it was a media fabrication.

“It’s not like we’re going to go fight and roll around in the snow,” he said. “We’re adults.”

Hedrick said the conflict was real: “Without the competitive tension that him and I have, we wouldn’t be the skaters we are today.”

It was suggested that a little controversy might help speedskating, which grabs the attention of the American public but once every four years. Davis bristled at the thought of his sport being treated like “heavyweight boxing or football or NASCAR.”

“I think it’s great,” Hedrick said. “The Americans at home and a lot of people around the world, they want to see a battle, they want to know who the two contenders are, they want so see them go at it and see who’s best.”

In that vein, he and Davis have been compared to former figure skating rivals Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. Also, former Laker teammates Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

At one point, explaining that he and Davis rarely speak, Hedrick quipped: “I think Shaq and Kobe probably said quite a lot more to each other than Shani and I do.”

Hedrick considers himself a leader among the U.S. speedskating contingent, and Davis often chooses not to practice with the team, preferring to train on his own. On Tuesday night, they hardly even glanced across at each other.

When Hedrick mused about a life after sports, mentioning an interest in acting, Davis followed with, “I’m not a phony person. There is no way I would ever be a Hollywood actor.”

“No,” he quickly added, “I’m not [knocking] Chad.”

Then the gloves came off, a boiling point reached when Hedrick tried to explain their rivalry by evoking the competitive nature of Michael Jordan.

Davis, it seemed, could stand no more.

“Speaking of Michael Jordan, since I’m from Chicago, a big Michael Jordan fan, I have never seen him act in an unprofessional manner when it came to losing,” Davis said.

“I’ll be honest in front of you people,” he continued. “Me and Chad, we’re fighting for the same thing.... It would have been nice if after the 1,000 meters he could have been a good teammate and shook my hand, just like I shook his hand, or hugged him, after he won the 5,000 meters.”

Davis stood up and left the room. Hedrick stayed to respond, talking about the team pursuit.

“Not only did Shani not participate in it, he didn’t even discuss it with me as the leader of this team,” he said. “I felt like we passed up a medal, and it has nothing to do with me winning five gold medals. ... I just felt betrayed.”

With only the 10,000 meters to be contested, Davis and Hedrick will not race again in these Games. Maybe nothing could top what they’ve already done here.

*

SPEEDSKATING, MEN’S 1,500

GOLD

* Enrico Fabris, Italy

SILVER

* Shani Davis, Chicago

BRONZE

* Chad Hedrick, Spring, Texas