Shani Davis follows in Eric Heiden's footsteps (Feature)

By Barry Whelan Jan 26, 2010, 5:08 GMT

Berlin - American Shani Davis is ready to become one of the greats of speed skating at the Vancouver Games.

His 1,000m gold at the 2006 Games in Turin made him the first black athlete to win a gold medal in an individual winter Games sport.

Now he is aiming to emulate former long track speed skater Eric Heiden who won an unprecedented individual gold medal sweep at Lake Placid in 1980.

Davis, 27, will skate in all the five individual events at the Vancouver Games, becoming the first American to do so since Heiden 30 years ago.

It means a possible five finals in 10 days as the 1,000m and 1,500m world record holder also competes in the 500m, 5,000m and 10,000m. 'It's a tough schedule. He's in every event, and he really wants to do well...' Guy Thibault, the high-performance director for US speed skating was quoted as saying.

Chicago-born Davis can already claim to be one of the greatest all-rounders in speed skating. Apart from his 1,000m gold and a silver medal in the 1,500m in Turin, he has garnered an impressive 14 world championship medals including eight gold.

But further victories in Vancouver would put Davis in a different dimension and further raise the profile of what is already America's most successful sport in winter Olympics.

Davis continues to play down the fact that he is a black athlete competing in winter sport. Race may have been a big issue decades ago 'but it shouldn't be about that nowadays,' he says.

'I want my triumphs and my success not only to reach black people but everybody that's inspired by what I've been through and what I've accomplished...' he said in an interview with woodTV.com aired on his website.

Dutch skater Sven Kramer, the current all-round world champion and long-distance specialist, is favoured in the 5,000m and 10,000m. Kramer has 12 world championship golds and could well improve on his 5,000m silver in Turin in 2006.

Five-time world champion Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic is also a favourite for double long-distance golds but will face strong challenges from home skaters, with Christine Nesbitt leading the Canadian charge.

Korean expectations are high, particularly over the short distances where Lee Kang Seok and Lee Kyou Hyuk are strong gold medal prospects over 500 metres. dpa bw gb

Factbox: Sport: Speed skating Venue: Richmond Olympic Oval Events: 12 (men 6: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m, 10000m, team pursuit; women 6: 500m, 1000, 1500, 3000m, 5000m, team pursuit) Stars: Shani Davis (United States), Sven Kramer (Netherlands), Christine Nesbitt (Canada), Martina Sablikova (Czech Republic).