History can be made at any time in sports. You never know when an athlete will set a record time, achieve a greater score or show off some exciting breakthrough style.

You also never know when an athlete will make history that is important outside of sports.

For African Americans, this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Italy made that kind of history.

In these Games, long-track speed skater Shani Davis became the first African American to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

Competing as America celebrated Black History Month back home, Davis defeated the top Olympic competitors in 1,000-meter speed skating, an event for which he also holds the world record.

The 23-year-old from Chicago followed that up by winning a second-place silver medal in the 1,500-meter speed skating competition.

In winning his history-making gold, Davis ignored criticism from teammate Chad Hedrick and angry emails from others after he decided not to take part in a team relay event ending two days before his 1,000-meter individual event.

He said he wanted to focus on his specialty race. His decision paid off, although he and Hedrick exchanged harsh words throughout the Games.

“Even though the road is rough, you’ve got to ride it out,” Davis said after winning. “It’s a great feeling to have that title after my name —Olympic champion. I’m happy that the things I trained for I was right about.”

Summer vs. winter

It’s hard to believe that there are still sports in which African Americans have not achieved success.

African Americans are among the greatest athletes the United States has produced.

Black athletes have won hundreds of gold medals in Summer Olympic competition, which features such sports as basketball, baseball, boxing, and track and field.

However, the Winter Games, which feature sports played mostly on snow and ice, have been another story.

Before this year, just two African Americans had won medals, and neither was an individual gold. Vonetta Flowers won a gold as part of a two-person bobsled team in 2002, and figure skater Debi Thomas won a bronze in 1988.

Long road

Shani Davis didn’t start out to be an ice skater. As a child in Illinois, his first skates were roller skates. At neighborhood roller rinks, however, he showed such talent for speed that he was encouraged to try speed skating on ice.

He made the move at age 6 and, supported by his single mom, trained 17 years for his moment of history at this year’s Olympics.

“It showed that all the hard work and all the sacrifice paid off,” he said.

And then, in the spirit of Black History Month, he offered a message to kids about achieving any goal:

“If you put your mind to it, and you believe it, you can achieve it. You cannot give up — even if the road is a tough road.”

1. Shani Davis’ victory in Olympic speed skating made history. It also caused controversy because he decided before his win to skip a team “pursuit” relay race. That angered U.S. teammate Chad Hedrick, who had hoped to win another gold medal in that event after winning one in 5,000-meter speed skating. As a class, debate whether Shani Davis should have taken part in the team relay. Have one side take a position supporting his decision and one take a position opposing it. Take a class vote at the end of the debate.


2. Shani Davis’ gold medal in the Winter Olympics came as America was celebrating Black History Month. In today’s newspaper, find another African American who is achieving success in sports or another field. Write a complete sentence describing this success. Then write a second complete sentence stating how it might inspire others to achieve their goals.


3. Olympic athletes train for years to succeed in international competition. In the newspaper, find an example of someone in another field who worked or trained for years to succeed. Write a paragraph describing what qualities or character traits were needed for this person to succeed.


4. The Winter Olympics seek to promote sportsmanship between athletes of different nations. Yet Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick exchanged harsh words as rivals within the U.S. Team. At what point does a rivalry become unsportsmanlike? Write a letter to the editor giving your opinion.